Easy Gratin Dauphinois

My mother-in-law is from Dauphiné : 
Dauphiné is a province which includes 3 departments, called La Drôme, les Hautes Alpes and l'Isère. 
Geography books place this province in the east south of france. 

You have to know that, for each single person who live in the east south of france (what we call "le midi"), 100 kilometers above Marseille is not the south anymore. 

For us, Lyon, which is considered to be in the south, is truly in the north. 

In fact, you have to draw a line just across Montpellier. All above, it's north. 

For us, Lille (which is the city most in the north, near to Belgium) is considered to be North Pole ! 

My grand mother, who were born and lived in Algeria before coming to Marseille, used to tell me this short story : 

My grand father had a job opportunity in Lille, 40 years ago. Before accepting, they decided to visit the town in november. 

My grand mother told me : 

"Axelle, I promise, I never felt so cold in my life ! I had the feeling to walk in a freezer. I was obligated to go into stores to warm me up ! It was sunny, yet ! But tell me, what is their sun used for ?".

Because we don't have the same sun : Their sun give them light. It gives us warm too.

Of course, all those jokes are for fun. It's a way to tease each other.

So, my mother-in-law is from Dauphiné and in this province, they cook the wonderful gratin dauphinois.

I'm going to give you here a recipe. Not THE recipe. Because each grand mother has THE recipe, which is never the same from the neighboor.

But, FOR SURE, please, please, please, there's no cheese in gratin dauphinois. There's no mushroom, no ham, no parsley...Etc ...

This could be very good with all that, but it won't be a Gratin Dauphinois. 

It will be a potatoes gratin.

Some use milk and cream. I just used cream. Light cream.

Here's my recipe.

You'll need for 6 persons : 

• 2 kg of potatoes floury
• 120 cl of light cream.
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt, pepper.
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg powder (grated)
• A little bit of butter.

Oven preheated at 150°C (Th 5 / 300°F)

Step 1 :

In a bowl, pour the cream, the nutmeg and press one clove of garlic, salt and pepper and whisk it.

Step 2 : 

The longest part... Peel the potatoes and cut them in thin slices. If you've got a processor, use it. 

Very important point : Do not wash potatoes when they are peeled. We need the starch they contain.

Step 3 : 

Rub the dish with the second clove of garlic first and with butter in second.

You can press the rest of the garlic in your mixture. That's what I did.

Step 4 : 

Arrange the potatoes slices as you can. No matter.

Step 5 :

Pour the cream. It must cover the potatoes almost to the top.

Step 6 :

In the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes minimum ! It must cook a long time and slowly.

After 1h30, I stopped the oven but left the dish in it for 30 minutes more.

It's ready.

It was SO GOOD ! Potatoes were perfumed and fondant. 

Heaven ! 

Bon appétit.

Recapitulative for 6 persons :

• 2 kg of potatoes floury
• 120 cl of light cream.
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt, pepper.
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg powder (grated)
• A little bit of butter.

Oven preheated at 150°C (Th 5 / 300°F)

In a bowl, pour the cream, the nutmeg and press one clove of garlic, salt and pepper and whisk it.

Peel the potatoes and cut them in thin slices. 

Very important point : Do not wash potatoes when they are peeled. We need the starch they contain.

Rub the dish with the second clove of garlic first and with butter in second.

You can press the rest of the garlic in your mixture. That's what I did.

Arrange the potatoes slices as you can. No matter.

Pour the cream. It must cover the potatoes almost to the top.

In the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes minimum ! It must cook a long time and slowly.

After 1h30, I stopped the oven but left the dish in it for 30 minutes more.