Potato gratin is an exquisite dish of French national cuisine. It is cooked with cheese, cream, garlic and spices. Some recipes use additional ingredients, such as meat, bacon or mushrooms. In today's article, several options for making gratin are considered.
General information
Gratin is a versatile dish that can be served with or without a side dish. Once it was considered the food of the French poor, who had to invent new ways of cooking the simplest foods. It is made on the basis of potatoes, sprinkled with creamy milk sauce and sprinkled with grated cheese.
In addition, garlic and spicy spices are necessarily added to the composition of such casseroles. And to make them more satisfying, they additionally introduce mushrooms, fish, bacon, meat and minced meat. To make gratin juicy and tender, it is prepared in a sealed container. Fifteen minutes before the completion of the heat treatment, the lid is removed from the container so that a golden crust has formed on its contents.
Traditional option
The recipe below uses a minimal set of ingredients. But, despite the apparent simplicity, it is possible to cook an incredibly delicious dinner on it. To make classic potato gratin, you will need:
- 200 grams of hard cheese.
- 4 potatoes.
- 250 milliliters of 12% cream.
- Salt, oregano and ground pepper.
Washed and peeled potatoes are cut into thin circles, and then put them on the bottom of the form lined with foil. All this is sprinkled with salt and spices, poured with half of the total cream and sprinkled with part of the available grated cheese. A second layer of potato is placed on top. It is also watered with cream. All this is cleaned in the oven, heated to 190 degrees. After 22 minutes, almost ready gratin, the recipe of which will probably be in your cookbook, is sprinkled with the remnants of shabby cheese and returned to the oven. At the same time, the temperature of the oven is increased to 210 degrees and they are waiting for the appearance of a golden crust.
Sour cream option
Potato casserole, made according to the technology below, has a rather delicate taste and pleasant aroma. Therefore, it is ideal for a family dinner. Since this gratin recipe, a photo of which can be found in today's article, involves the use of a specific set of components, look ahead to see if you have in your house:
- 7 potatoes.
- Large onion.
- 50 grams of good hard cheese.
- 4 large spoons of sour cream.
- A pair of cloves of garlic.
- ½ teaspoon of dried basil and butter.
- Salt and ground pepper.
Washed and peeled potatoes are cut into thin slices and patted with paper towels. Then they are salted, gloves and gently mixed. Part of the prepared potatoes is laid out on the bottom of a heat-resistant mold, greased with butter, and watered with half the sauce made from sour cream, crushed garlic, salt, grated cheese and pepper. On top distribute half rings of onions and the remains of potatoes. All this is poured into the second half of the sauce, sprinkled with dried basil and cleaned in a warm oven. Bake the dish at 220 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Option with mushrooms
Potato gratin is a unique dish whose taste can be changed with the help of various additives. Introducing fresh champignons into its composition, you will get an unusually fragrant and sufficiently nutritious dinner for the whole family. To make a casserole like this, you will need:
- 7 potatoes.
- 200 grams of champignons.
- 3 cloves of garlic.
- 100 grams of good hard cheese.
- 1.5 cups cream.
- 30 grams of green onions.
- Salt and spices (black pepper, paprika, curry and nutmeg).
Part of the washed and peeled potatoes is laid out in an oily refractory form. Top it is lightly sprinkled with salt and covered with plates of mushrooms and a layer of chopped green onions. All this is watered with half the cream, mixed with crushed garlic, and seasoned with spices. From above distribute the remains of potatoes and sauce. The future gratin is sprinkled with grated cheese, covered with foil and cleaned in a heated oven. Bake it at 190 degrees for about half an hour. Then the form is carefully opened and returned to the oven for another 15 minutes.
Forcemeat option
Gratin is a very interesting dish, which can be diversified by adding ground meat. Thanks to this component, the casserole becomes more nutritious and high-calorie. She can feed their fill a large family. To prepare it, you will need:
- 600 grams of potatoes.
- Clove of garlic.
- 300 grams of ground beef.
- 200 milliliters of water.
- 400 grams of onion.
- ¼ packs of butter.
- 300 grams of sour cream.
- 7 large spoons of olive oil.
- 200 milliliters of cream.
- A large spoon of sweet paprika.
- 40 grams of hard cheese.
- Salt, a bunch of parsley and ground pepper.
Washed and peeled potatoes are cut into thin slices and laid out in an oily heat-resistant form. Top with a little salt and half chopped sauteed onion. All this is covered with a piece of minced meat, fried with garlic and spices, and chopped herbs. Once again, chopped root vegetables, onions and ground meat are again laid out. It is important that the last layer is potato. All this is poured with a glass of water and sent for heat treatment. Future gratin is baked at 200 degrees for about half an hour. Then it is poured with a sauce made of sour cream, cream, salt and paprika, and sprinkled with grated cheese. All this is returned to the oven and cooked for another 20 minutes.
Chicken and Mushroom Option
We draw your attention to another interesting recipe for potato gratin (photos of such dishes can be found in the course of today's article). On it you can relatively quickly make a hearty and tasty dinner for the whole family. For this you will need:
- 4 potatoes.
- 2 chicken breasts.
- A dozen champignons.
- 100 grams of hard cheese.
- Bulb.
- ½ cup pasteurized milk.
- A couple of pinches of curry and salt.
Chunks of chicken, sliced potatoes, fried mushrooms and onion rings are layered in an oiled form. All this is salted, seasoned with spices, poured with a mixture of milk and curry and sprinkled with shredded cheese. Bake the dish at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.
Bacon variant
This simple and at the same time nourishing casserole is optimal for a family dinner and dinner party. It has a light garlic aroma with an admixture of the smell of smoked meats. A step-by-step recipe for potato gratin (a photo of the dish can be found below) suggests a specific food package, including:
- 7 strips of bacon.
- 500 grams of potatoes.
- 2 onions.
- 50 milliliters of milk.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- 50 milliliters of cream.
- 50 grams of cheese.
- Salt, fresh herbs and vegetable oil (to lubricate the mold).
Step No. 1. The potatoes are washed, peeled and cut into thin slices.
Step No. 2. A third of the prepared pieces are laid out in an oiled form.
Step number 3. Bacon cut into cubes and fry with chopped onions.
Step No. 4. Part of the resulting mixture is spread on top of the potatoes.
Step No. 5. Layers alternate until full use of all ingredients.
Step No. 6. The future gratin is poured with sauce made from milk, cream, salt, spices and crushed garlic.
Step number 7. All this is sprinkled with grated cheese and put in the oven, heated to 200 degrees.
Step number 8. After 25 minutes, the finished dish is decorated with herbs and served for dinner.