Creamy or crusty? That is the question. The answer is, both, of course, but in what proportions? Everyone seems to have their own way for making this, perhaps the most classic of potato dishes. And they’re almost always delicious; it just depends which kind you prefer. My extensive research and testing (you can’t eat too much gratin dauphinois) has followed the two main schools of thought, both of which I love, but for different reasons…
First up is the ‘thin ‘n’ crispy’ version, as perfected by American food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, who points out that ‘gratin’ comes from ‘gratter’, to scrape, which hints at the true form and in fact whole point of the dish - it should be really sticky and crispy, requiring much scraping so as not to leave behind a scrap of that wonderful brown goo encrusted on the potatoes and the dish itself. His version is only one layer deep, resulting in much stickiness both above and below. The flavours end up quite concentrated, with salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic and reduced cream combining into an intense savouriness, not dissimilar to parmesan cheese, despite the absence of cheese in the recipe. In fact, Jeffrey considers the addition of cheese “a gross and pitiful imposture, an admission of failure.” I would agree entirely.
Equally delicious, just in a different way, is what I call the ‘deep ‘n’ creamy’ version, which chef Eric Fraudeau in Paris (with whom I took a class at the start of our culinary travels in 2008) assures me is the correct method. The question of how to correctly and authentically cook a gratin dauphinois was apparently so aggressively contested that Charles de Gaulle held a competition to determine the definitive recipe. Eric is adamant that the potatoes should first be cooked on the stove in milk, which is then discarded, and then baked in cream. Also, the potatoes are cut lengthways, slightly thicker, and arranged in more than one layer. The result is creamier, with the notes of nutmeg et al appearing only as hints. You still get the wonderful crispy crust on top of course, essential to any and every version of the dish.
First up is the ‘thin ‘n’ crispy’ version, as perfected by American food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, who points out that ‘gratin’ comes from ‘gratter’, to scrape, which hints at the true form and in fact whole point of the dish - it should be really sticky and crispy, requiring much scraping so as not to leave behind a scrap of that wonderful brown goo encrusted on the potatoes and the dish itself. His version is only one layer deep, resulting in much stickiness both above and below. The flavours end up quite concentrated, with salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic and reduced cream combining into an intense savouriness, not dissimilar to parmesan cheese, despite the absence of cheese in the recipe. In fact, Jeffrey considers the addition of cheese “a gross and pitiful imposture, an admission of failure.” I would agree entirely.Equally delicious, just in a different way, is what I call the ‘deep ‘n’ creamy’ version, which chef Eric Fraudeau in Paris (with whom I took a class at the start of our culinary travels in 2008) assures me is the correct method. The question of how to correctly and authentically cook a gratin dauphinois was apparently so aggressively contested that Charles de Gaulle held a competition to determine the definitive recipe. Eric is adamant that the potatoes should first be cooked on the stove in milk, which is then discarded, and then baked in cream. Also, the potatoes are cut lengthways, slightly thicker, and arranged in more than one layer. The result is creamier, with the notes of nutmeg et al appearing only as hints. You still get the wonderful crispy crust on top of course, essential to any and every version of the dish.
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