How to make gratin better

Did you smash it

Tried to make gratin. Don’t think the picture will turn out well when complete. Obviously the spuds should be covered in the cream mix but they are at the bottom. I used melted spreadable butter instead of real and maybe you need a really thick cream. Are these my problems or other things I need to change in future?

also the instructions are to cook in oven for 75 minutes at 180 with tinfoil cover, then remove cover and add cheese for the final 15 minutes. should I change that given the appearance of the dish?

Str8outtaWuhan

"melted spreadable butter", boss that ain't butter. Real cream real butter real garlic and parboil then cut your potatoes thinner.

Water John

Spreadable butter usually contains something like palm oil. Yes needs real cream and lots of garlic. Don't think it always has cheese.

Dave_The_Sheep

If you have a mandolin, you can use it to get consistently thinly sliced potatoes, which you can parboil in a milk/cream mixture. Your potatoes should ideally be thinner, but closer together with fewer holes throughout.

As others have said, real cream, real butter, garlic. Also, season as you go.

So main things straight away are your potatoes are dry and your sauce is at the bottom for likely one of two or a combination of your sauce is too thin and your potatoes are way too thick for a gratin.

You don’t necessarily need a mandolin although they are much easier than slicing them thinly by hand.

If you have no mandolin or an intention to buy one the easiest way to slice them thinly is trim one side of a potato so it can be sat steady and flat on a board and use your knuckles to guide the knife so the slices are no thicker than a few mm.

Melt a few tbsp of butter on a low heat and gently cook for just 1-2 mins a few cloves of grated garlic. Add a few sprigs of time your sliced potatoes and about 500ml each whole milk and double cream. If that’s not enough to cover your potatoes and an extra 100ml of each until it’s just about completely covered.

Cook that for about 15~ mins on med/low. A gratin is different from potato dauphinoise mainly in that the potatoes are cooked slightly before being baked.

One they are slightly tender basically just the hardness and crispness removed transfer to your oven dish and cook @ 200c with foil on tightly for about 45 mins.

Check the centre of your potatoes and if still a bit hard cook for another 10 mins.

If you want to add cheese let the gratin cool for a few mins then grate cheese and grill it to toast til it’s as golden as you want it to be.

Hopefully that is of some help in future.

The Nal

Do a dauphinois instead! Great recipe here

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/ultimate-gratin-dauphinois

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121581675#Comment_121581675

The temperature and cooking times are way off in that recipe - as pointed out in the comments after it.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121581748#Comment_121581748

Yes sorry, should've said. 180c ish for about 90 mins does it.

Planet X

Just out now…..small portion for two 😀, in with roast pork joint in a Le Creuset, again, 90 minutes.

Dial Hard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121582936#Comment_121582936

That pan is waaaay too big for the portion and imo your potatoes are sliced too thick.

The Nal

Yeah everything needs to be snug

Dave_The_Sheep

I mean, I agree with the lads, but I'd still eat the **** out of it (particularly with that pork).

I'm trying to be good the next few months... but I am seriously tempted to do a few gratins/dauphinoises with all this chat.

Planet X

Deconstructed 😀.

All the rage.

Madd002

Can't really go wrong with gratin, I hand cut thinly & layer into dish grate 3 cloves garlic over it add salt, pour 50ml of milk it'll wash grated garlic and salt down through gaps then add the small carton of cream either 200/250ml fire into oven for 45mins lift tinfoil off 10 mins from end no cheese for us but we still get a nice browning on top.

Water John

'This is what happens when gratin dauphinoise and cacio e pepe (literally, ‘“cheese and pepper”) have a baby: an ultra-comforting crowdpleaser of a dinner.' This popped up on The Guardian today;

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/jan/09/cacio-e-pepe-potato-gratin-chicory-anchovy-salad-recipe-rosie-birkett

breezy1985

https://fanculamedia.wordpress.com/2019/07/15/stage-10-tour-de-france-2019-saint-flour-to-albi-truffade/

Similar to the above cacio e Pepe and another very lovely crowd pleaser.