Gratin Dauphinois

I made these scalloped potatoes for a potluck yesterday. It was shameful to serve them in a disposable foil pan, but they were elegant anyway, and smelled so delicious that I almost pulled over to eat some on the way. When I went to the table to retrieve my leftovers after dinner, even the pan was missing. I clipped this recipe from Vogue magazine about 40 (yes!) years ago, and it has won me friends ever since. We used to have these for Christmas on Key Biscayne, to go with Patrice's prime rib. The potatoes were as popular as the meat.

Gratin Dauphinois

2 pounds potatoes (I used a bag of baking potatoes) to make 5 to 6 cups when sliced
1 large clove garlic, crushed
2 C. milk
1 1/2 C heavy cream
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. butter (for buttering pan)
1/2 C. grated Swiss cheese (I use Gruyere)

Peel the potatoes, then wash and dry the whole potatoes thoroughly. Slice thin. Don't put them in water now because you need to conserve the potato starch. Combine potatoes with garlic, milk, cream, salt and pepper in a large heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium, stirring to prevent scorching. I use the low-heat burner because I have burned them many times.

Bring to a boil, stirring, until mixture thickens slightly.

Butter a shallow (1 1/2 inch)  baking dish (I usually use the oval copper gratin pan; yesterday it was a 9" x 13" foil pan) and pour the potatoes in. Cover with grated cheese.  I usually put the pan on a cookie sheet to catch drips. Bake at 400° for an hour or until potatoes are soft and top is browned. These are even good cold.