12440 Gratin of Potatoes in the Style of the Auvergne Serves 6 to 8 Wed Aug 06 01:07:21 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 11:00:31 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12440 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:00:31 GMT In the original edition of this book, I presented a recipe for a rustic dish called le gatis—a mixture of Cantal and Roquefort cheeses served melting hot in a crust of brioche. (You'll find the recipe on my website, paulawolfert.com.) Here's a recipe for a luscious gratin that uses the same combination of cheeses along with slices of potatoes.

You can substitute a nice English Cheddar or a Monterey Jack for the hard-to-find Cantal, but please use a good blue-veined cheese—real Roquefort or bleu d'Auvergne. This gratin goes especially well with grilled or roasted beef.

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  • Peel the potatoes, rinse, and slice them as thinly as you can, using a mandoline or a food processor fitted with a thin (2 mm) slicing disk. Do not wash or dry the potatoes after slicing.
  • Rinse a large, heavy pot with cold water, but do not dry it inside; this helps prevent the milk and starchy potatoes from scorching. Place the potatoes in the pot and cover with 3 cups of the milk. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are just cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, mash the blue cheese with the heavy cream until smooth and blended. Stir in the remaining milk, the shredded Cantal, a pinch of salt, some white pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper.
  • Rub a shallow 3-quart baking dish with the garlic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer layers of potatoes to the dish, alternating with the blue cheese mixture and ending with the potatoes. If the milk remaining in the pot is not thick, reduce it, and spread it over the potatoes in an even layer. Dot with the butter (The recipe can be prepared to this point up to 3 hours before serving. Cover loosely and set aside in a cool place.)
  • About 2 hours before serving, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the dish on a flat baking sheet to catch any overspill and set it in the oven to bake for 1½ hours, or until the gratin is bubbling and brown and the liquid is nearly absorbed. Serve directly from the baking dish.
  • If not serving at once, reduce the oven temperature to 200°F. The cooked gratin can hold for 1 hour.
  • The potatoes can be peeled 2 to 3 hours in advance and kept covered in salted water in the refrigerator. Do not slice them until you are ready to assemble and bake the dish.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 3 pounds firm red potatoes

    ]]>     1 quart whole milk

    ]]>     Coarse salt

    ]]>     3½ ounces Roquefort or bleu d'Auvergne

    ]]>     ½ cup heavy cream

    ]]>     ¼ cup shredded Cantal, English Cheddar, or Monterey Jack cheese (1 ounce)

    ]]>     Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste

    ]]>     ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

    ]]>     ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper

    ]]>     ½ garlic clove, crushed

    ]]>     2 tablespoons butter

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