Three Potato Gratin Daphinoise

 


I purchased a mandolin some years ago, as I was fascinated by the even slices that would be accomplished. At one point, the mandolin was my main onion slicer.  I was having the time of my life with this gadget.  I love the even, super thin slices of onions, cucumbers,  zucchini and yellow squashes. I haven’t used it for onions in a long time, because I have now fallen in love  with the texture of big slices of onions in my mouth.  In addition to that, culinary school has really deterred me from using my mandolin. In school, knife skills is one of the first techniques in the syllabus. I think I may be traumatized by knife skills.  In my attempt to achieve even and precise cuts, I insist on perfecting my skills through repetition.


Even though I have a food processor, a mandolin and many other kitchen gadgets, I now chop just about everything by hand: potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, squashes, cucumbers etc. You name it…I chop it. My mandolin had somewhat lost its popularity  in my kitchen…..but  that’s just temporarily. This dish was the perfect motivation to whip out the mandolin. I damn sure wasn’t going to stand in my kitchen and attempt to slice 7+ potatoes by hand. Thank God for mandolins! It does serve its purpose, especially when preparing a classical or modern potato gratin.


The first time I prepared this dish, was in Foundations II. It was tasty, however, it seemed to have too much liquid and it was kind of runny. Maybe we added too much cream. I’m so glad that I have the opportunity to practice these dishes at school where I’m allowed to make errors and observations before I make them at home. I have recreated and authenticated most of the dishes that I have learned through demos and practicals at school.


Every six weeks we rotate chefs and proceed to the next level. Foundations III was all about meats: fabricating, cutting, understanding the process of  the manufacturing of meats and so on.  Our practicals usually include an entree (vegetable, carbohydrate , protein, sauce and garnish).  At times, dishes from the previous Foundation classes were repeated and gratin daphinoise happened to be one of them. This chef had a completely different cooking style, which makes me appreciate the constant rotation of the chefs, because I get to take a piece of each of their technique and use it to my advantage. So during his demo, he says, ” you can also use sweet potatoes or both.”  Now yall know me……That was my cue to recreate my own dish and so I did…..


I used a spring form pan, but you can use any baking dish. The step by step photos should also assist you tremendously. Enjoy!
…And will you please come back and tell me if you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thanks in advance!

THREE POTATO GRATIN DAPHINOISE
Ingredients
3 russet potatoes (thinly sliced)
2 yukon gold potatoes (thinly sliced)
3 sweet potatoes (thinly sliced)
7 cups of heavy cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
sea salt to taste
cayenne pepper to taste
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg (grated)
1 cup gruyere cheese
1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Peel potatoes (DO NOT WASH POTATOES AFTER YOU PEEL THEM)
3. Use a mandolin to slice potatoes (russet, yukon gold and sweet) and set aside
4. In a separate bowl, mix heavy cream, eggs and nutmeg
5. Grease baking dish (I used a spring form pan)
6. Layer russet potatoes on bottom
7. Season that layer with sea salt, pepper, oregano and basil
( use oregano and basil sparingly. You need it for all the layers)
8. Top with gruyere cheese and and extra sharp cheese
9. Ladle about 1/2 cup of heavy cream mixture over that layer.
10. Repeat steps 6 through 9, alternating between russet, sweet potatoes, and yukon gold, until there are no more potato slices.
11. Cover with foil and bake in oven for about 45 minutes. (oven times may vary based on the calibration)
12. Remove foil and broil for about 5 minutes
Enjoy!

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