Gratin dauphinois is a French dish of sliced potatoes baked in
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
or
cream
Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...
, using the
gratin technique, from the
Dauphiné region in south-eastern France. There are many variants of the name of the dish, including pommes de terre dauphinoise, potatoes à la dauphinoise and gratin de pommes à la dauphinoise.
[ It is called potatoes au gratin in American English.
]
History
The first mention of the dish is from 12 July 1788. It was served with ortolans at a dinner given by Charles-Henri, Duke of Clermont-Tonnerre and Lieutenant-general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
of the Dauphiné, for the municipal officials of the town of Gap, now in the département
In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level ("territorial collectivity, territorial collectivities"), between the regions of France, admin ...
of Hautes-Alpes.[
]
Preparation
Gratin dauphinois is made with thinly sliced raw potatoes, milk or cream, and sometimes Gruyère cheese, cooked in a buttered dish rubbed with garlic. The potatoes are peeled and sliced to the thickness of a coin, usually with a mandoline; they are layered in a shallow earthenware or glass baking dish and cooked in a slow oven; the heat is raised for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.[
Some purists insist that a gratin dauphinois must not include cheese, which would make it a ''gratin savoyard''.][ Peter Graham, ''Classic Cheese Cookery'', 2008, , ''s.v.'' Gratin 'Dauphinois'"] Nonetheless, recipes given by many chefs including Auguste Escoffier, Austin de Croze
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, Robert Carrier, and Constance Spry call for cheese and eggs.[
It is distinguished from ordinary gratin potatoes by the use of raw rather than boiled potatoes.][ It is a quite different dish from ]pommes dauphine
Pommes dauphine (sometimes referred to as dauphine potatoes)''Larousse Gastronomique'' (2009), p. 355. Hamlyn are crisp potato puffs made by mixing mashed potatoes with savoury choux pastry, forming the mixture into quenelle shapes or balls, an ...
.[
]
See also
* List of casserole dishes
References
External links
*
The website of gratin dauphinois
{{Potato dishes
French cuisine
Potato dishes
Casserole dishes
Milk dishes