It was one of those days where we had potatoes to spare after making mash potatoes for dinner the previous night. We wanted something simple – a one dish meal paired with perhaps a salad, and so a gratin seemed like a good choice. When making potato gratins, I find that boiling the potatoes in milk or cream gives them a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and also improves the flavour of the entire dish. For gratins or baked rice/pastas, Swiss cheese (Gruyere especially) is the preferred choice as they yield a creamier result. I couldn’t find any Swiss cheese in that particular supermarket and chose to substitute it with Gouda, which though is a less preferred choice, still made a great gratin.
Potato Mushroom Gratin
Serves 2 generously
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped leeks (only the white and pale green parts)
170g sliced button mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
340g russet potatoes, peeled and sliced to about 0.5 cm thick
1 cup half and half
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
salt and black pepper
Method:
- Heat oil in a frying pan and sauteed leeks till soft and lightly brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and sauteed till soft and liquid almost evaporates, about 6 – 8 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauteed for another minute.
- Set aside.
- In a saucepan, combine half-and-half with salt and pepper and add in the sliced potatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer till potatoes are partially cooked and half of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease a gratin dish and transfer half of the potato mixture to the dish. Top with mushroom mixture and cover with the remaining potato mixture. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the potato mixture.
- Tent dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 – 20 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.
- Let it rest for about 5 – 10 minutes before serving hot.
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