The thing about Potatoes au Gratin is that it takes forever to make and you have to do it at the last minute. This recipe is totally make ahead-friendly. You can even prepare it the night before, which I will find very helpful for the upcoming holidays.
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Yields: 6 Servings
Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove
1 pinch salt
6 large waxy potatoes (about 2½ pounds), peeled and sliced about ⅛-inch thick
2 cups half-and-half
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
1 pinch fresh nutmeg
1 cup Gruyère, grated
Directions
1Preheat oven to 400° F. Rub the inside of an 8- × 8-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Smash the garlic with the side of a knife and sprinkle generously with salt.
2Chop and scrape the garlic into a mushy paste.
3 Combine garlic paste, potatoes, half-and-half, and remaining 4 tablespoons butter (cut into ½-inch pieces) in a pot; stir. Season with salt and pepper and grate in a hint of nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. After 8 to 10 minutes the potatoes will be a little tender, and their starch will have thickened the liquid considerably. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you like.
4 Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish; smooth the top as much as possible. At this point, you can hold the dish until you're ready to bake, even overnight in the refrigerator. Cover the gratin with Gruyère and bake until deeply golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes (longer if chilled overnight). Let the gratin cool and set a little before serving.