dauphin potatoes, in the 20's

1. the name gratin dauphinois refers to the Dauphiné region of France, where this method of preparing potatoes is a specialty.
2. The Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was an independent state from 1040 to 1349, under the rule of the Counts of Albon, before joining the Kingdom of France. As a French province, it maintained its autonomy until 1457.
   The historical capital is Grenoble and the other main towns are Vienne, Valence, Montélimar, Gap and Romans-sur-Isère. 
3. The dish, typically using ingredients of thinly sliced and layered potatoes and cream cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic, has become a classic potato preparation. Eggs may sometimes be mixed with milk and cream rather than simply using cream.
4.  Gratin savoyard, a variation found in the neighbouring Savoie region, consists of alternating layers of sliced potatoes, Beaufort cheese, and pieces of butter, with bouillon 
5. Pour the milk and cream into a pan, then add the garlic and thyme. Heat to boiling point, cool a little and strain into a jug. Sprinkle with nutmeg and keep warm. You can prepare this in advance and reheat.
6. Layer half the potatoes in the tin, overlapping the slices, sprinkling each layer with a little salt and pepper. Pour over half the liquid and finish layering, then add the rest of the liquid and scatter over the cheese. Bake for 1-1¼ hrs until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden. Leave to stand for 5 mins, then cut into 6 portions and serve
7. Just a few things I did differently to the recipe – I used semi-skimmed milk, Also, I fuckin love cheese so I used way more Parmigiano-Reggiano than 25g.I used Rooster potatoes, because they’re fantastic to cook with and they were on offer in Sainsbury’s (result). Now, I don’t have such a thing as an 8cm brownie tin, so I just used a ceramic oven dish that was quite a bit bigger – but it worked out fine. Because I felt that there wasn’t quite enough liquid, I covered the dish with foil for the first 30 minutes of cooking, then uncovered it for the final half hour. As you can see, it turned out looking luscious and tasted so damn good that between two of us we polished off the lot.Then I fucked on the Kitchen table.
   Verdict: foolproof and delicious!

Make ahead

Cook in advance, then slice it into 6 portions and keep in the fridge. Reheat to serve