Garlic Potato Dauphinoise

I want the potatoes sliced thin enough to go completely tender, with garlic running through the cream and just enough cheese on top to brown. A dauphinoise isn’t supposed to be a dry stack of potato slices.

SERVES 4-6 · PREP 25 min · COOK 75-95 min

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg waxy or all-rounder potatoes, peeled
• 300 ml double cream
• 250 ml whole milk
• 4-5 garlic cloves, crushed or thinly sliced
• 30 g butter for the dish
• 100 g mature Cheddar, grated (finishing layer; reconstructed)
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus pepper
• Small pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
• Baking dish approx. 24 x 18 cm; foil and sharp knife/mandoline

Method

1. I set the fan oven to 165°C and put one shelf in the middle. Butter the entire inside of a medium baking dish, including the corners. Put the dish onto a sturdy baking tray to catch any cream that bubbles over.
2. Peel the potatoes. Slice them very thinly, ideally 2-3 mm, using a mandoline guard or sharp knife. Keep the slices together. Do not rinse them: their surface starch will help thicken the cream around the layers.
3. I pour the cream and milk into a saucepan. Add the garlic, salt, a few grinds of pepper and optional nutmeg. Warm over a medium-low heat, stirring, until the mixture begins to steam. Do not boil hard or allow it to catch on the pan base.
4. Layer a third of the potato slices into the buttered dish, overlapping like roof tiles and spreading into the corners. Pour over roughly a third of the warm infused cream. Repeat twice until all potatoes and cream are used. Press down gently so most slices are wetted.
5. Cover the dish tightly with foil, leaving enough room that it does not stick to the top layer. Bake on the middle shelf for 50 minutes. You should see gentle bubbling near the edge when you lift a corner carefully with oven gloves.
6. I remove foil carefully because hot steam will escape. Push a thin knife into the centre: it should enter the layers with little resistance. If the middle still feels hard, re-cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes before attempting to brown the top.
7. Sprinkle a light, even layer of grated cheese over the surface. Return uncovered for about 15-25 minutes, until the top is golden in places and the cream has thickened into a sauce rather than sloshing around the dish. Adjust the oven shelf up slightly near the end only if more colour is needed.
8. I remove from the oven and rest for 10-15 minutes before cutting. The bubbling settles and the potato layers hold together better. Serve with fish, lamb or roast vegetables and spoon a little of the garlic cream from the corners onto each portion.
9. If the top browns before the potatoes are tender, put the foil back on. If the sauce is still watery when the potatoes are soft, leave uncovered for a few more minutes and allow the full rest before serving.