RECIPE: Potato dauphinoise

The Irish know what they're talking about when it comes to the humble spud. The potato is god's food and I seriously think that, along with chocolate and cheese, a world without spuds would be a world not worth living in.


Personally I can think of few things better than mash. I'm such a fan of creamy, scrummy mashed potato that I could even bathe in it. Oooooooh just think of filling a bath with lovely soft buttery mash and diving straight in! Jacket spuds come a close second (with a big slice of butter of course), followed by roasties, big chunky pub chips and Neil's special potato hedgehogs (I'll pop that recipe on here another day).





But last night Head Chef Neil cooked up a dish to rival even his best mash - cheesy potato dauphinoise, using the lovely ingredients we bought on Sunday from Highfield House Farm Shop and spuds from Banana Bob's veggie box. Here's the recipe....


INGREDIENTS: (serves four)

600g large white potatoes
500ml whole milk
15g unsalted butter
110ml double cream
50g mature cheddar cheese, grated (or more if you like it really cheesy)
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
Salt, pepper and Hendos Relish (optional) to taste

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 190C. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes and put them in a pan with the milk, nutmeg, seasoning and half the butter. Bring to the boil, stir and cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender but not breaking up. 

Mix together half of the cream with half of the potatoes and stir into the mixture.

Grease a baking dish with the butter and garlic (rub the garlic into the butter in the dish) and pour the potatoes in. Then pour over the rest of the cream and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake for about an hour, or until the cheese goes crispy on top. 

You can serve this hot from this dish or wait for it to cool and set, and then cut it into portions. These can then be re-heated in a hot oven for five minutes before serving.