Cream of garlic, cream and wafer-thin potatoes composing an almost “floral” decoration: it's a great dish, a flan in Daniel Boulud's style, never going out of fashion and gladdening family Sundays with the oven on.
All photos of the restaurant Le Gratin
The Dish
In addition to the 2 Michelin stars of the eponymous New York sign, long inscribed among the temples of international haute cuisine, Daniel Boulud has collected “trophies” everywhere, becoming one of the most eclectic entrepreneurs of the advancing restaurant industry. So many restaurants have opened in recent years - from London to Singapore, from café to contemporary trattoria, from bistro to gourmet. All without ever disowning the memory of the beginnings or the background of genuine dishes, for the variety of formats remains a staple: there is not only haute cuisine, and the modern chef knows how important it is to broaden the price range to satisfy a heterogeneous public.
Among the most successful establishments capable of combining casual dining and sophisticated design, le Gratin, inside The Beekman hotel in Downtown Manhattan pops up. Inspired by the gracious bouchons of Lyon -the cook's hometown- it was born as an informal address with a rustic menu, but the result of painstaking study and with an emphasis on service. Nomen omen, the potato gratin here makes a comeback thanks to the symmetry of the presentation, with the sheets of tubers drawing an almost “floral” lattice in its exactness. Sinking your spoon will not be a sin of gluttony; rather, a pleasure somewhere between a sense of familiarity and the joy of sharing.
"We used to prepare this dish every Sunday for lunch with the family. It is something that mothers and grandmothers cooked at home; a legacy of French childhood. It's in our genes,", explained Boulud to the blog Resy. “My recipe is quite close to the traditional one, but enriched with excellent nutmeg and the lively scent of garlic. We have also recalibrated the milligram dose of salt. There is cream, milk and a garlic custard mixed with thinly sliced potatoes arranged in layers; the flan (in French, gratin dauphinois) is slow-cooked for an hour. The flavor at the end is delicately irresistible."
Recipe taken from “Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook,” by Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan
Gratin dauphinois/ Potato Gratin/ Potato Flan - Daniel Boulud's recipe
Overall time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8
- 500 g assorted wild mushrooms, separated by variety, cleaned, cut and sliced
- 2 tablespoons (approx.) unsalted butter
- Salt
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled, split in half, soul removed and finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon finely chopped thyme leaves
- 3 heaped cups of cream
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 lb. Idaho or other red potatoes
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano cheese
In a skillet, brown the mushrooms separately over medium heat according to the specific cooking time, adding just enough butter to keep them from sticking. Season each individual variety with about an eighth of a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of white pepper; cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender: this will take a few minutes. When each type of mushroom is cooked, drain, place in a large bowl, and repeat the process with the next type until finished.
Mix the mushrooms all together in the bowl. Add the garlic and thyme and set aside at room temperature until ready to use. (Mushrooms can be sautéed up to 2 hours ahead and stored covered with plastic wrap at room temperature.)
Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Butter a 25-cm baking dish.
Pour the cream into a large bowl and add 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, and the nutmeg. (Add more salt than usual because the potatoes will need it.)
Peel the potatoes and cut them into round slices using a mandoline, the thinner blade of a food processor, or a knife. Dip the potatoes gradually into the cream.
Using your hands, remove enough potato slices from the cream to create a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish, arranging them in even, overlapping concentric circles. Create a second layer of potato slices and then pour some additional cream over the layers. Press the potatoes together to compact the layers.
Spread the mushrooms (without the liquid that may have accumulated in the bowl) over the potatoes and pour more cream, again using your hands to press down on the ingredients and bring the cream to the surface. Arrange the remaining potatoes in layers over the mushrooms, pouring in the cream and pressing down as you finish each layer.
Sprinkle the gratin evenly with Parmigiano and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake the gratin for 45 minutes, then check that it does not become too dark. If necessary, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees to prevent it from browning too much. Bake for another 30 minutes or until you can easily run a thin knife through the layers.
Remove the gratin from the oven and keep warm for about 20 minutes to allow the potatoes to absorb more cream. To serve, cut into slices.
