Classic Potato Cheddar Gratin

Classic Potato Cheddar Gratin

My sister Renee and Lee are big time gourmets (they are too humble to admit that).  They are seriously amazing cooks and I treasure every meal they have shared with me.  When I still lived in MN, we had a lot of fun experimenting with recipes together.  Renee and Lee do a lot to help out Mom and Dad.  Matter of fact, they do most of the cooking over the holidays (and every other special occasion).  During the Holidays Lee made these amazing potatoes and we all ooohhhd and aaahhhd over them.  Seriously, I think we all went back for seconds.  We enjoyed them because they were tender, creamy, and flavorful, yes they melted in our mouths.  People you should make these.  If you follow the recipe, you too will know you need not look any further for a fabulous recipe for au gratins.  The first time I tried to make these I didn't follow the directions and I was disappointed they didn't taste exactly like Lee's, but Erick said they were still awesome (awe.)  Lee said he got the recipe out of the November/December 1995 issue of Cooks Illustrated.  That means this recipe has been tested, tried and true in the Cooks Illustrated test kitchens.  In our family, we love the Cooks Illustrated recipes because they tell you why you need to do all the weird steps and you are guaranteed a winner.  I adapted the recipe slightly, namely I added 2 cups of Wisconsin cheddar cheese.  Erick insisted on the addition of cheese...cheddar cheese..."more cheddar cheese" that seems to be his mantra with just about anything that I cook.  I look at it like I am supporting our local economy (smile), this is the dairy state after all.

Classic Potato Cheddar Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2 1/4 cups half and half
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced paper thin (1/8 inch)
• 2 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional), when Renee and Lee made this they use only topped the gratin with Gruyere 45 minutes after it went in the oven

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Slice potatoes with a mandoline so that you get a thinly sliced potato about an 1/8 of an inch...this may not seem important but it is.  Also, don't rinse the potatoes or hold them in water to prevent browning, doing so will rinse the potatoes of some of the starch and the starch adds to the rich full bodied creamy texture you are going for
• Bring half and half, salt, pepper, cayenne, potatoes and minced garlic to boil in saucepan over medium high heat, stir occasionally
• Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of cheddar cheese, stir until cheese is combined and melted
• Pour potato mixture in to a gratin dish use fork to distribute potatoes evenly, gently press down potatoes until submerged in cheesy liquid
• Dot top with pieces of softened butter
• Bake 45 minutes, top with 1 cup of shredded cheddar
• Bake additional 30 minutes until golden
• Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes

Potato Cheddar Gratin