James Martin Dauphinoise Potato Food

POTATOES DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Variation: This recipe also works well with orange sweet potato (kumera).
• If using sweet potato, try substituting the nutmeg with a generous sprinkling of caraway seeds over each layer.
• Yum!
• Grease a 6 cup capacity ovenproof dish generously with the butter or margarine then smear the garlic around the bottom and sides of the dish.
• (I use a round glass pyrex dish.) Peel potatoes and slice thinly into rounds.
• (I use the slicing blade of my food processor).
• Line the bottom of the dish with a single layer of overlapping potato slices.
• Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Repeat this layering and sprinkling process until you have used all of the potato slices.
• In a large jug, combine cream and milk and stir well.
• Pour this mixture over the potato slices, gently easing the potato away from the sides of the dish to allow the liquid to penetrate evenly.
• Place the dish onto a microwave safe plate and cook, uncovered, in a microwave on MEDIUM HIGH for 15- 20 minutes.
• Check occasionally.
• If the liquid in the potatoes boils over, simply pour it from the plate back into the dish and continue cooking.
• Microwave just until you can push the blade of a sharp knife through the potato layers without feeling any crunchy resistance.
• Having reached this stage you can go on to cook the dish in the oven or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for several hours or more before cooking.
• Pre-set your oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Sprinkle the top of the potatoes with the grated cheese and place the dish on an upper shelf in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
• (This may take slightly longer if taking the dish straight from the refrigerator.) To serve, cut into wedges and remove each wedge carefully with a spatula.

ULTIMATE GRATIN DAUPHINOIS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 4/fan oven 140C. Rub the butter all over the surface of a gratin dish, about 18x28cm/7x11in. Peel and slice the potatoes to a width of 3mm/1⁄8in. Lay the slices on a clean tea towel and pat dry. Keep them covered with the tea towel while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. Add the garlic, thyme and shallot (if using). Slowly heat the milk and, just as it is about to reach boiling point and you see bubbles appearing around the edge of the pan, remove it from the heat. Strain the liquid into a large jug, sprinkle in the nutmeg and keep warm.
• Layer half the potato slices in the dish, slightly overlapping the slices and sprinkling with a little salt and freshly ground pepper between each layer. You don't have to be too neat with the lower layers, but keep some of your best slices for later, so the top looks good.
• Pour half the hot milk and cream over the potatoes, then finish off layering the rest of the potatoes (arranging them a bit more carefully this time). Pour over the rest of the hot milk and cream. Scatter the cheese over the top and bake for about one hour, until golden and tender. Leave the dish to stand for about 5 minutes, then serve sprinkled with a few fresh thyme leaves.

HORSERADISH POTATO DAUPHINOISE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 7. Tip cream, milk, garlic and horseradish into a large saucepan, season, then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, add the potatoes, stir to stop them sticking together, then cook for 10 mins until tender.
• Pour the potatoes and horseradish cream into an ovenproof dish. You can do this up to a day ahead. Cover, store in the fridge, then bring back to room temp an hour before you want to bake.
• Bake for the 30 mins at 190C/170C fan/ gas 5, (if you're cooking roast beef & carrots with easy gravy, you can pop it on the shelf below the beef for the last 30 minutes of the beef's cooking time); then increase the temp to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for another 30-35 mins. (Add the muffin tin for the yorkshire puddings when you turn the oven up.)