Gratin Dauphinois

Ingredients

• 2½ lb waxy potatoes, peeled
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cloves garlic, halved
• 2 tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• Salt and white pepper

Method

1. Rub a baking dish hard with the cut garlic, then butter it generously. Leave the garlic halves in the cream.
2. Slice the potatoes ⅛ inch thick on a mandoline or with a steady knife, and do not rinse them. The surface starch is what thickens the cream into a sauce.
3. Warm the cream, milk, garlic, nutmeg, 1½ tsp salt, and white pepper in a wide pot, add the potato slices, and cook at a bare simmer for 8 minutes, stirring gently, until the liquid thickens noticeably.
4. Fish out the garlic and pour everything into the dish, pressing the top layer flat so it is submerged.
5. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 60–70 minutes, until a knife meets no resistance and the top is deep gold and blistered. Cover loosely with foil if it darkens too early.
6. Rest 15 minutes before serving; straight from the oven it slides, and after a rest it slices.