Classical potato gratin is one of the national dishes that France is famous for. Translated from the French language, the word "gratin - means" bake ". Despite the pathos name, gratin is a potato, sliced in thin slices, baked under a cheese crust in a creamy or milk sauce - as you like.
Usually this delicacy is served on the table as a side dish for meat, but you can cook it as an independent dish. Moreover, the process of cooking gratin is not difficult. There are many different recipes and cooking options with the addition of meat, mushrooms, seasonings, etc. But what exactly will remain unchanged is potatoes and cheese.
Material Content:
Oven potato gratin - a classic recipe
The option of cooking potato gratin in the oven according to the classic recipe is the simplest.
What is needed for this:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 300 ml cream of 10-20% fat content;
- 200 g of cheese;
- 50 g of vegetable or butter;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- ¼ tsp nutmeg;
- salt pepper.
The potato is washed, peeled and cut into thin slices using a knife or a special shredder. It is important that the slices are approximately the same size.
To prevent sticks from sticking together during baking, they are soaked for some time in cold water, where all the starch leaves. At the same time, the preparation of creamy cheese sauce begins: the butter is melted, leaving a small piece to grease the form, after which cream, nutmeg, salt, chopped garlic and grated cheese are added (a handful remains to sprinkle the top layer of gratin). Properly prepared sauce should be salted.
The oven turns on and warms up. The potato is taken out of the water, washed well and leans back into a colander. Slices are poured with boiling water in a saucepan, put on the stove to a boil, boiled for about 5 minutes and again recline in a colander.
For baking, you need a form with high walls, smeared with oil. Half or one third, based on the size of the form, is laid out on the bottom and evenly poured with the cooked creamy sauce until it completely disappears under it. Again, a layer of potatoes is laid out and again poured with sauce. If it’s enough for the third layer, it’s still put. Top gratin sprinkled with grated cheese and put in the oven for half an hour.
After the appearance of a golden crust, you can consider the dish ready to eat.
Cooking classic gratin in a slow cooker
To prepare potato gratin in a slow cooker, the ingredients you need are all the same as with ordinary baking in an oven. The recipe is the same, however, there are differences.
Before putting potato slices, the bottom of the multicooker is plentifully greased with vegetable or butter. Lay out layers of slices and pour over the sauce. When all the potatoes are in the slow cooker, the “Baking” mode is activated for 40-60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the sliced pieces.
After half an hour, gratin is sprinkled with grated cheese, which should be browned for 5-10 minutes. The dish is ready.
Potato gratin with minced meat
What is needed:
- 600 g of potatoes;
- 300 g of hard cheese;
- 300 g of minced meat;
- 1 chicken egg;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 150 ml cream;
- salt, pepper, spices, herbs.
Potatoes, sliced in thin plates, are laid out in a greased form in one layer and sprinkled with chopped or chopped garlic. The next two layers are minced meat and grated cheese. They give all the best until all products are finished. The last layer should be exactly cheese to create a golden brown. Gratin is put in the oven.
A special sauce mixture is created from cream, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper, after which the dish is poured with it half an hour after baking. We leave it for another 10 minutes and after the crust is visible, potato gratin with minced meat can be served.
With mushrooms and cheese
What is needed:
- 500 g of fresh champignons;
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 1 onion;
- 250 ml cream;
- 2 eggs;
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise;
- ½ tsp dried basil;
- 1 tsp garlic powder;
- salt pepper.
First, mushrooms and onions are fried until fully cooked. At the same time, potatoes are peeled and cut into thin slices. It is laid out in layers in a pre-prepared form, and mushrooms are placed on top of it and so on until the container is completely full.
How to make potato gratin sauce with mushrooms: cream, mayonnaise, eggs, garlic powder, spices to taste and basil are mixed. Pour each layer in such a way that the sauce is completely spread over the surface.
Gratin is baked in an oven heated for 180 degrees for 1 hour. The finished dish is cut into several portions.
With bacon
What is needed:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 500 ml cream;
- 150 g of hard cheese;
- 2 chicken eggs;
- 50 g of bacon;
- 20 g butter;
- salt pepper.
The potato is peeled and cut into thin slices, after which it is laid out in a deep container, poured with cream and very carefully mixed. At the same time, a baking dish is greased with oil, where potato wedges will be laid out in layers in several rows. They are put like this: a layer of potatoes, a layer of bacon, again potatoes, etc., until the products run out. Layers are sprinkled with spices and grated cheese. Due to the fact that bacon is already salty, it is better to add as little salt as possible so as not to spoil the taste of gratin.
The form is placed in a 180 degree preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Half an hour after the start of baking, the dish is taken out and sprinkled with cheese and herbs, then put back into the oven for 10 minutes. After the appearance of the crust, you can take out the form from the oven, in order to avoid overcooking.
Potato and fish gratin
What is needed:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- fillet of perch or other fish;
- 500 ml cream;
- 2 heads of garlic;
- ¼ tsp nutmeg;
- salt, pepper and spices.
Thin slices of potato are salted, pepper to taste and cream in a pan, while adding nutmeg and chopped / grated garlic. All this remains to be stewed to a boil, so that when the cream and starch are combined, a sauce is formed.
The potato is moved into a pre-prepared form, and fish fillet is laid on top of it, also pouring cream sauce. Dishes with gratin are placed in a 200-degree oven preheated for half an hour.
Potato gratin recipe from Julia Vysotskaya
TV presenter-cook Julia Vysotskaya offered her recipe for potato gratin “Dofinua”.
To prepare it you will need:
- 5 potatoes;
- 60 g of hard cheese;
- 100 g Brie cheese;
- 50 g of oil;
- 200 ml cream of 10% fat;
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil;
- salt.
Potato slices are laid out in a pan, poured with water, brought to a boil and boiled for 3 minutes. The ingredients for the sauce are mixed in a separate bowl: the butter and vegetable oil are melted. Hard cheese is rubbed on a coarse grater, and Brie is cut into long slices. Cream, grated cheese are added to the container with butter, after which everything is salted and thoroughly mixed.
In a greased baking dish, slices of potatoes are laid out in an even layer, on top is hard cheese with cream, then again potatoes and Brie cheese. The dish is baked in an oven heated to 180 degrees for half an hour. Bon Appetit.
