Potato Gratin
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1¼ - 1½ hours
Serves: 4
Description
A hearty autumn or winter dinner, but can be a good year-round vegetarian main dish or as a side dish. Add an onion and some cubed ham steaks to make it heartier for the meat eaters in your family.
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove
- 5 large baking potatoes, peeled (Idaho potatoes work well)
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2½ cups vegetable or chicken stock
- pinch of grated nutmeg
- salt and black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, sliced (optional)
- cubed ham steak (optional)
Procedures
- Preheat the oven to 400 °F . Halve the garlic clove and rub the cut surface over the base and sides of a large shallow gratin dish.
- Wash and peel the potatoes. Slice very thinly (a mandolin works very well for this, if you have one) and arrange a layer over the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of sliced onions and ham, if using. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
- Continue layering the potatoes and cheese (and onions/ham) until you reach the top of the pan. Add the stock, then sprinkle with the grated nutmeg.
- Bake for 1¼ - 1½ hours, or until the potatoes are tender and the tops are well-browned.
Note: For an almost fat-free dish, you can omit the Parmesan cheese as long as you use 100% fat free chicken stock and are not using the ham. I like using the reduced sodium/fat free stock from Swanson.
