A Great Potato Gratin

My first challenge of the New Year was actually a challenge I set for myself for the Christmas dinner I was hosting. I wanted to finally master the potato gratin. Although many recipes go by the name gratin, the one I’m referring to is the classic Gratin Dauphinois, with cream and melted Gruyere cheese. This is one of my favorite special occasion dishes, but I had never been able to make a really good one.

It seems like a simple dish. It contains only four or five ingredients: potatoes, cream, Gruyere cheese, salt and maybe garlic. But every time I made it before, it either turned out very gloppy, with a lot excess liquid, or the potatoes didn’t get tender enough. It was time to stop fooling around and get serious.

For help, I turned to Patricia Wells’ Bistro Cooking, which practically has a whole chapter dedicated to potato gratins. I ended up combining steps from two different recipes, and the results were magnificent. The gratin was crusty and cheesy, the potatoes were tender and redolent with cream, and I couldn’t resist going back for seconds.

Here’s what I learned about making a really good gratin. First, slice the potatoes thinly and consistently. If you only get out your mandoline once a year, now is the time. I sliced mine 3/8 inch thick, which seemed a little thick to me, but they cooked up beautifully.

Second, pre-cook the sliced potatoes at a low simmer — not a boil — for about 10 minutes. This ensures they will be tender after they come out of the oven.

Finally, choose a shallow dish for baking. I don’t have a proper gratin pan, so I used a lasagna baking dish. I made two layers of potatoes and cheese, and that worked out very well. The gratin itself was cooked and beautiful ahead of schedule, at just 45 minutes.

Now that I know how to make a really good potato gratin, it will be a challenge not to make it more often. Here’s the recipe as I prepared it.

Potato Gratin

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 2 pounds baking potatoes, such as russets, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1 cup freshly grated French or Swiss Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally so that the potatoes do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring from time to time, until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.

Thoroughly rub a shallow baking dish with the garlic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the potatoes to the dish. Sprinkle with half the cream and half the cheese. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with the remaining potatoes, and sprinkle again with the remaining cream and cheese. Sprinkle again with salt. Bake, uncovered, until crisp and golden on top, 45-60 minutes. Serve immediately.

Merry Christmas!

Smile, it’s Christmas! Treat yourself to a good breakfast today.

Christmas Blahs

I just haven’t felt very Christmas-y this year. I don’t know if it’s the strange weather we’ve been having; last week, the temperature was in the 80s, and it felt more like May than December. Or maybe it’s that I’m seven months pregnant now, and I’m feeling tired all the time with a constant backache. Or it could be that I’ve felt more than a little depressed about my work lately. Or perhaps it’s the relentless consumerism that gets me down every year. Even the constant jabbering about the presidential primary race is starting to get on my nerves.

Or maybe it’s all of the above.

Whatever it is, I haven’t felt much like cooking. Or even eating. Usually, Christmas is a time when I feel inspired to try new things and do some baking, but this year, the kitchen has not been calling me. Actually, what I’ve most been craving are not rich foods or sweets but the crisp, fresh vegetables of high summer.

I think what I need more than anything is a break. I have been working a lot because I’m saving up my leave for my maternity leave. Next week, when I finally do get some time off, I’m looking forward to an endless round robin of visiting relatives’ houses. My husband estimates that we’ll put at least 200 miles on the car, and we’re not going to be traveling more than 45 minutes away from home. The constant arranging and visiting wears me out.

I think the best Christmas present I could give myself is some quality me time.

I have fantasies about what Christmas will be like in the next year and years to come. I don’t want to raise a child who associates the holidays only with a mountain of presents. Instead, I imagine the small but meaningful traditions we’ll create together that remind me of my childhood Christmases, such as baking cookies and going to see The Nutcracker. I picture leisurely Christmas mornings eating pancakes in our pajamas and opening stockings and seeing what Santa brought. These are the kinds of Christmases that I want to craft for my family, not the stress-filled, jam-packed , go-go-go holiday week that I’m facing right now.

Perhaps it’s too late to rescue this Christmas. But next year is going to be different. And I will make cookies!

Ready, Set, Christmas!

I believe this is my last 20 minutes of free time for the next 3 days, so I thought I’d post my weekly roundup a wee bit early. This weekend’s activities are timed so precisely that I almost considered making a Gantt chart to keep track of it all (but fortunately, I’m not quite that anal). Still, we have thought about hiring an air traffic controller to make sure all our comings and goings are perfectly timed and there are no nasty mid-family collisions.

Christmas starts tomorrow with lunch with extended family, my father’s side. From there, we go to open house at my aunt’s. Then home, where I am cooking a simple winter dinner for mom, stepdad, brother and stepbrothers. Here is the menu:

• Spiced Nuts to start
• Mixed green salad with vinaigrette
• White Chicken Chili (recipe courtesy of the brand-new issue of Cook’s Illustrated)
• Cornbread
• Key Lime Squares and store-bought Pirouline cookies for dessert

I’ll let you know how it turns out, but I think it sounds fairly fabulous.

Sunday begins bright and early with brunch with extended family, my mother’s side. Then, late lunch at Maggiano’s with in-laws, mother, stepfather and brother (family-style, natch). We’ll roll ourselves home, and I hope I’ll get some alone time with my hubby to exchange stocking stuffers.

Monday, again up bright and early to the in-laws for breakfast and present bonanza. From there straight to my father’s for Christmas dinner. Back to in-laws to pick up dogs (they can’t visit dad’s because there are too many animals there already). And then home, exhausted, fat and happy (I hope).

I’m just so glad I’m taking the rest of next week off. I’ll need all that time to recover and fast.

Best Recipe of the Week

That would have to be the aforementioned Key Lime Squares. I actually almost tossed the recipe because after pulling the perfectly baked master square from the oven, I then carelessly cracked it in a couple of places, ruining its pristine pale green beauty (sorry there’s no photo). Upon reflection (and after sampling a couple), I realized this was not the recipe’s fault, but my own. I think if I am going to attempt more baking, I am going to have to learn to be a) more precise and b) how to take my time. These should be useful skills to apply to other areas of life. Perhaps it’s time to finally purchase a kitchen scale so I know exactly how much 5 ounces of animal crackers is and can turn out a crust that’s not quite so fragile.

Worst Recipe of the Week

You asked for it (well, Cooking Chat did), you got it. When I gave up eating beef, I should have accepted that I would have to give up many other things as well — such as burgers, for instance. But foolishly, I keep trying to find a substitute. The Quick Turkey Burgers I tried from The New Best Recipe may finally have brought me to the realization that my life is to be burger-less. The burgers were actually quite flavorful and moist, and it is very hard to keep turkey burgers from completely drying out. But they just couldn’t hold together. Even with the added ricotta cheese, there wasn’t enough fat to hold it in a nice burger shape. I don’t truly blame the recipe, though, which gave it the old college try; I have accepted now that there is no burger without beef.

(P.S. I am aware of the existence of veggie burgers and will eat them if necessary, but do not consider them burgers or a part of my regular diet.)

Christmastime Is Here

In retrospect, this seemed like a really busy week, so I didn’t cook many new recipes. Instead, I stuck to old reliables for my weeknight cooking and tried to keep things light to make up for all excess eating we do around this time of year. (I’ve posted several of the recipes here.)

My god, the food is everywhere! Yesterday at my office alone, we had lunch brought in for the board meeting, there were leftovers from the holiday party the night before, and one of my vendors dropped off the most spectacular gift basket I have ever seen, with boxes of cookies, a huge bag of Lindt truffles, a carton of Ferraro Rocher candies, fruit, sparkling cider and other goodies. I think I did a pretty good job of controlling myself, but looking ahead at the next week, we have planned a holiday dinner at one of our finer local French restaurants, two family-style dinners at Maggiano’s (one work and one family), Sunday brunch, Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner at my Dad’s, who is one of the finest chefs I know. I’m just glad the weather is so beautiful so I can at least get some exercise with my dog (who has been helping out this holiday season — see photo).

Still, I don’t think one week of excess is a bad thing. This time of year is about celebrating life and all the things we love about it, including food. I’m not going to obsess about what I put in my stomach and spoil the fun. The long, cold, dreary winter is coming, so for now, let’s just enjoy ourselves.

Best Recipe of the Week

I only cooked one new recipe this week, but it was a damn fine one: Balsamic Braised Chicken. This stew — recipe from Cook’s Illustrated magazine — was redolent with red wine and balsamic vinegar, onions, garlic and red chard. It was beautiful served next to oven-baked brown rice, wintry comfort food that still felt healthy. And I remembered to take photos this time!