This Potato Dauphinoise Is Wellness
Yes, it's that good.
Sometimes wellness is about throwing that stupid apple out the window and getting a dopamine hit from a creamy, cheesy, buttery pan of thinly sliced potatoes. I do believe you can go overboard on too much wellness, or too much naughty food. Either end of the spectrum is a really bad place to live all the time. You gotta move between both sides to achieve peace and happiness.
This Potato Dauphinoise dish is so good and delicious, that it will actually make you happier. And that is a wellness win to me!
Slicing all these potatoes on my mandolin brings me back to my French Culinary School days, when mastering the potato in every which way was always being taught.
Here’s my secret, fail-proof Potato Dauphinoise recipe that will put a smile on everyone’s face with culinary school how-to tips that make it easier (not harder):
Ingredients:
5 garlic cloves, diced
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons dried thyme
BIG handful of salt (pic below)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper (black is fine if you dont have white)
1.25lbs potatos, peeled then sliced thin (about 4-5 russets of varying size) on the mandolin, then put into a bowl of cold water so they don’t discolor
12-16 oz of grated gruyere cheese
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Practice misé en place (everything in it’s place). All this means is do all your food prep before you start cooking. For everything. Before you start cooking. Much higher success rate this way.
Melt your butter in a pan over medium and give your garlic a quick saute to infuse the butter with the flavor.
Combine the melted butter, garlic, cream, thyme, salt, and pepper into a big measuring cup you can pour from and mix.
Butter a 8x8 pan, pour off the water from your bowl of potato slices, and put a third of the potatoes into the pan to create your first layer.
Use a third of your cream mixture to soak the potatoes (I like to use clean hands to ensure every piece of potato touches liquid), then cover with a few handfuls of gruyere. Repeat so you have 2-3 layers or til you hit the top of your pan.
Bake at 350 F for 75-90 minutes. 75 if you want a bit more bite, 90 if you want super soft potatoes.
Serve right away because there’s no way you’ll be able to wait. But don’t burn your tongue.
