Potatoes au Gratin

French cuisine often seems complex and refined, but many French dishes are actually quite simple to make while still exuding elegance. This French Potato Mille-Feuille is a perfect example.

Potatoes au Gratin, or French Potato Mille-Feuille, is a classic French comfort dish. Typically, it’s served alongside a hearty vegetable stew or meat dish for a complete, satisfying meal. The traditional method involves brushing a baking dish with garlic, layering thinly sliced potatoes, and then adding milk or cream (some recipes cook the potatoes directly in cream). The dish is then baked until golden and tender. When served, it presents beautifully with its layers perfectly stacked.

This recipe from BigBoy is a simplified version because I skipped the step of cooking the potatoes in milk or cream, making it more convenient to prepare. But believe me, the taste is just as wonderful! This baked potato dish is perfect for serving at gatherings and can easily feed a crowd, offering endless flavour.

ʙɪɢʙᴏʏ ᴛɪᴘs✨

📌The thinner you slice the potatoes, the better; thick slices can be hard to cook through.

📌Since we’re not cooking the potatoes in milk, make sure to salt the potato slices and let them release moisture before patting them dry. This helps prevent excess moisture when baking.

📌The size of baking dishes can vary, so you might need to adjust the quantity of potatoes accordingly.

Ingredients (serve 3-4)

---

Potato	1-1.2 KG
Heavy Cream	300ml
Unsalted Butter (melted)	30g
Garlic (grated)	2 cloves
Ground Black Pepper	1 tsp
Salt	2 tsp
Thyme	few sprigs
Cheddar/Gruyère cheese	150g

Steps

---

1. Slice the potatoes into approximately 1.3mm thick slices using a knife or mandoline (see small image).

2. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the potato slices and toss to coat. This will not only season the potatoes but also help them release moisture. Since this simplified version doesn’t use milk to cook the potatoes, this step of removing excess moisture is crucial.

3. After salting for 5 minutes, the potatoes will have released a lot of moisture. Drain the excess water and then pat the potato slices dry with 5-6 sheets of kitchen paper.

4. Mix the garlic, light cream, and melted butter together.

5. Take a baking dish and lay down a layer of potato slices. Drizzle a thin layer of the light cream mixture over the potatoes, then sprinkle with black pepper, thyme, and grated cheese (I used Cheddar). Repeat these steps until the baking dish is filled.

6. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cover the dish with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

7. After 1 hour and 20 minutes, remove the aluminum foil, adjust the oven temperature to 190°C, and bake for an additional 15 minutes before serving!

趁熱食啦！