Potato Gratin

4 SERVINGS

I like this best when the potatoes are sliced quite thin (a mandoline makes this easy):
that way the potato slices are less likely to curl up and burn on the edges. Yukon Gold
and other waxy, yellow-fleshed potatoes keep their texture in a gratin; floury potatoes
like russets fall apart.

Rub a 9- by 12-inch gratin dish with:

Butter

Peel and slice about 1/16 inch thick:

4 large yellow potatoes
(about 11/2 pounds)

Make a layer of potato slices in the gratin dish, overlapping them slightly, like shingles.
Sprinkle with:
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Continue to layer the potato slices, seasoning each layer, until the potatoes are used
up. You should have two or, at the most, three layers. Carefully pour over the potatoes:
1 cup milk

The liquid should come up to the bottom of the top layer of potatoes. Add more if
necessary. Generously dot the top of the potatoes with:
3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Bake in a 350°F oven until browned and bubbling, about 1 hour. Halfway through the
baking, take the gratin dish out of the oven and press the potatoes flat with a metal
spatula to keep the top moist. Return to the oven and keep checking. The gratin is done
when the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.

VARIATIONS
• Peel and smash a garlic clove and rub it all over the inside of the gratin dish before
buttering it.
• Use duck fat instead of butter.
• Use heavy cream or a mixture of half-and-half and cream. Omit the butter.
• Substitute celery root, parsnip, or turnip slices for up to half the potatoes.
• Add chopped herbs such as thyme, parsley, chives, or chervil between the layers.
• Sauté mushrooms, sorrel, spinach, or leeks, and layer them between the potato
slices.
• Sprinkle grated Gruyère or Parmesan cheese on each layer and sprinkle more on top
for the last 15 minutes of baking.

Excerpted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters Copyright © 2007 by Alice Waters. Excerpted by permission of Clarkson
Potter, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without
permission in writing from the publisher.
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