Potato Gratin

I'm sure everyone is thinking about Thanksgiving this week. If you haven't already planned all of your feast, please consider making a potato gratin as one of your side dishes. It's super simple to put together and absolutely yummy.

This recipe is for 4-6 people, but can be multiplied easily. You may, however, want to increase the cooking time for a larger amount. You also want to have a baking dish large enough to hold all the ingredients without spilling over. I use my quiche pan.

Peel and thinly slice four large Idaho-type potatoes. A mandolin works well here, but I don't have one so I just slice as thinly as possible with my chef's knife. It helps to slice a small piece off one side of the potato so that you can place that side down when slicing and the potato won't roll around. Also grate about two cups of cheese, any kind you like. My personal favorites are white sharp cheddar and gruyere. I definitely don't like yellow cheddar here, the color is just not right. Measure out 1 cup of heavy cream and add 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to it. The only other ingredients are salt and pepper to taste.

Place 1/2 of the potato slices in the baking pan. You don't need to be fussy with placement for this layer - no one will see it. Just spread the slices evenly, sprinkle with salt and pepper, scatter 1/2 of the grated cheese on top and pour 1/2 cup of the cream over all. The next layer is the same, but you want the potato slices to look pretty. Slightly overlap the slices in either a circle or in rows, depending on the pan you're using. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for 1/2 hour more. To be sure it's done, poke it with a sharp knife. The potatoes should be tender, but not mushy.

My family gobbled this up last time I served it (no pun intended). It goes well with almost anything that you would serve potatoes with. It is definitely a French inspired dish - tres elegant. Bon appetit!