Simple Potatoes Gratin

I love cooking au gratin because putting grated cheese everywhere just makes things smell, taste and look better to me.

Potatoes gratin is my favorite and it’s perfect to face a cold winter day. Naturally, this is the first dish I cooked when the flat’s oven got repaired last month.

Here are the ingredients I used to make it as simple and student-budget-friendly as possible:

You just need enough butter to grease the casserole dish and to add on top of the gratin before putting it in the preheated oven (200°C / 392°F). Use as many potatoes as your dish and your belly can contain. They have to be washed and peeled.

I usually cut them in half vertically then into thin slices to facilitate the water, cream or sauce absorption. If you wanted to use chunks of potatoes instead for any reason, you would have to parboil them beforehand.

This potatoes gratin basically consists of successive layers of potatoes slices/chunks, cream and cheese until you reach the top of the dish.

I start with a layer of potatoes “fish scales” and add some creme fraiche right on top of it.

Then I add some salt, pepper, and some spices I have in the cupboard. Last time it was ground ginger and cinnamon.

The third layer is made of grated cheese. I used grated cheddar for this one but you can use any other cheese, depending on your preference. If the cheese you want to use is already salty, be careful on the seasoning from the previous step.

Just restart and repeat the layering process until the dish is full or you have nothing more to put in it.

I never know whether to end with a layer of potatoes or a layer of grated cheese. This time it was potatoes, so I added some butter to melt on top and prevent them from drying. I put the dish in the oven for about 30 minutes.

This time I took it out from the oven a bit late and the gratin was a bit burnt on top but still fine.

If the outside is cooked and the inside is still liquid because of the melted creme fraiche and cheese, you can let it cool down for some time. It took me about half a hour to get a more solid consistency.