Gratin Dauphinois

Since it's been WAY too long since I've posted, I feel that I owe you all something (all 5 of you that read this, that is...) It's snowing here this evening, and they are saying we may get somewhere between 5 and 10 inches. We'll have to see in the morning, as that is quite a bit of snow for "The Heart of Virginia". We went out and bought Lucie a nice red sled today, in hopes that tomorrow morning will bring inches and inches of the fluffy white stuff. You can be sure that I will post pictures if that is the case!

In preparation of the snow, I felt comfort food was in the cards...so for my bebe, I made "Gratin Dauphinois" (grah-tah(n) doh-fee-nwa) for dinner. One of his favorites. I say "one" because anything put in front of him is his favorite (just like I say "It was SO easy to make"...we are perfect together!-- How great is a husband like that? :-) By the way, until I married a Frenchman, I would have never eaten this as a main dish. On thi side of the pond, we'd call this Scalloped Potatoes, and usually serve it as a side dish. But I'm tellin' ya, great main course!

Rub the inside of a casserole (mine is 3 qts, doesn't matter, just make the taters fit with a little wiggle room) with a few slices of garlic (Cut them in half so the exposed part is what you rub, that way you get a little juice.), then a little softened butter.

If you have a mandoline, great, it makes this part super easy. Thinly slice 2 1/2 pounds YUKON GOLD potatoes (of course any potatoes you have will work just fine, but the Yukons add a creaminess to the dish, and tend not to fall apart. Not that it needs any more creami-deliciousness!) Not paper thin, but a few millimeters thin. Think corrugated cardboard box.

***The classic version does not include what I like to throw in, but it's SO good this way. Throw in a large handful of chopped cooked bacon or lean diced ham, a chopped onion, and a little shake of garlic powder. Uh-mah-Gawd. I like to keep a package of diced ham on hand. If I lived in France it would be lardons, but the ham works well in its place.

In a large saute pan, pot, or whatever you got, saute the onions, garlic and ham in a little pat of butter. Once softened, add the potatoes, 2 cups of milk and 1 cup of half and half. (Yes, you can use all milk - but hello, comfort food!) Finally, add a sprinkle of nutmeg, some black pepper and about a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer (don't boil!) and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until it thickens a bit. Pour this into your garlic-coated casserole dish, and sprinkle a handful of mozzarella (yes, classic calls for gruyere but look where we're currently living) over the top (that's what makes this a Gratin - just a French term for covered with cheese and baked till it's golden) Cook for about 45 minutes or until it's cooked through (if you can stick a knife down through it and there is no resistance, you got it, baby!)

Let this sit for a few minutes before serving, the juices will all come together and the potatoes gain a nice consistency. Serve with a green salad and a light red wine. Bon appetit!