Hasselback Potato Gratin

Hasselback Potato Gratin

Adapted from a recipe found at www.seriouseats.com.

2 oz shredded Gruyere cheese

1 oz grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon minced roasted garlic

1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped

Salt and Pepper

3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8” thick

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400° F. 

Combine cheeses and transfer about 1/3 of the mixture to a separate large bowl.  Set the remaining cheese aside for later.  To the large bowl add the cream, garlic and thyme and season generously with salt and pepper.  Add the potato slices and toss until every slice is coated with the cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that stick together.

Grease a 1-quart baking dish with the butter.  Pick up a handful of potatoes, stacking them neatly in a row and lay them in the baking dish with their edges towards the top and bottom of the dish.  (Don’t lay them flat like traditional scalloped potatoes!)  Continue placing potatoes in the dish until they are all in there and somewhat tightly packed.  If you need to, slice another potato and coat it with the remaining cream mixture and add it to the dish. 

Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over potatoes until the mixture comes half way up the sides of the dish.  You may not need all of the excess cream, but I did! 

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.  Bake for another 30 minutes or until the top is a deep golden brown and crisp on top.  Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before serving.  Serves 3 or 4.

I made this for Easter Dinner 2016 and it was good!  Even my hubby liked it and we all know he does not like creamy dishes!  Mine didn’t turn a deep golden brown, but since it started looking burnt around the edges, I decided to take it out of the oven about 5 minutes early.  I was concerned by the amount of oil floating on top, but as it cooled (I let it sit for about 15 minutes) that disappeared back into the cheesy goodness and was not a problem!

I’ll make this again, but will probably use my favorite Swiss and Cheddar combination for the cheese instead of the Gruyere.  Personal preference.