Potatisgratäng

Ingredients

• 2¼ lbpotatoespeeled or unpeeled, thinly sliced
• 3 clovesgarlicpressed or finely chopped
• 1 tbspOilfor sautéing or greasing the dish
• ¾ cupcream
• ¾ cupmilkbrought to a boil with the cream
• 5¼ ozcheesegrated, for topping; substitute a sharp hard cheese such as Appenzeller
• saltto taste
• black pepperto taste
• 1onionsliced, sautéed with the potatoes (optional)
• nutmeggrated between the layers (optional)
• 1¾ ozgoat cheesecrumbled and stirred into the potato mixture (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175–390 °F and grease a baking dish with a little olive oil.
2. Peel the potatoes if you like and slice them thinly. Press or finely chop the garlic.
3. Gently cook the garlic and potato slices in the olive oil in a wide pan without letting them colour. If you're using onion, slice it and cook it along with them.
4. Pour in the heavy cream and whole milk and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring, until the liquid thickens.
5. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in crumbled goat cheese, if using.
6. Spread the potato mixture in the dish, smooth the top and scatter the grated Västerbotten cheese over it.
7. Bake for about 40–45 minutes. If the top browns too quickly towards the end, cover it with foil. Test with a wooden skewer to check that the potatoes are tender.
8. Leave the gratin to rest, covered, for about 15 minutes so it can firm up, then serve.

Tips and variations

Instead of simmering the potatoes first, you can layer the raw slices in the dish in three layers with seasoning, garlic and cheese, then pour over cream alone. Unpeeled potatoes work just as well. Crumbled goat cheese or grated Parmesan can be stirred into the mixture, and if you cook onion with the potatoes, you can also add a little butter to the oil. Freshly grated nutmeg between the layers rounds things out. Outside Sweden, a sharp Appenzeller stands in for Västerbotten cheese. Don't skip the resting time: it lets you cut the gratin into neat portions and serve it straight from the dish.