Patate Dauphinoise

This may be the best potato dish I’ve ever made, ever, and that says a lot because I make a lot of potatoes. It’s really just a simple five ingredient recipe, but so so tasty. Like mind-blowingly tasty. It does take a little bit of prep, but it is worth the work and the wait. Using a mandolin, I shaved russet potatoes into thin pieces. Using an aluminum tray, lined with parchment paper (don’t skip this step, it will be waaay easier to get them out of the pan this way), I layered the thinly sliced potatoes with shredded Gruyere cheese. Next, I carefully poured heavy cream into the container to fill in between the potatoes and cheese. The next step is to smoke the potatoes for 3-4 hours. The cheese melts, the potatoes cook and the cream just gets creamier. Once the potatoes are done, they're taken out of the smoker and cooled completely, ideally overnight in the fridge and then are cut into steaks and seared on the plancha for a melty, crispy exterior. This recipe calls for topping off the potatoes with crumbled prosciutto and chopped chives, but you can omit the prosciutto for a fully vegetarian recipe, or try out some different toppings to switch it up. These potatoes are a bit of a labour of love, but they're worth the work and worth the wait! Keep reading to find out how to make my Patate Dauphinoise, or jump to the full recipe.

Set smoker to 300F. Using a mandolin, thinly slice your potatoes into a bowl of water so they don’t brown.

Grate your cheese. For best results, use a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.

Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan in one layer, making sure to slightly overlap them. Once the full length of the container is covered, sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

Then place another layer of overlapping potatoes on top of the cheese. Continue until the potatoes are a ½ inch from the top of the pan, making just the shredded cheese is the last layer.

Carefully pour the cream into the pan with the potatoes. Pour it in at all four corners of the pan, not directly over the cheese layer. Use all the cream or stop once you start to see the cream meet the top layer of the potatoes.

Place the pan in the smoker for 3 ½ to 4 hours.

After the four hours and the potatoes are cooked and the cheese is melted, remove from the smoker and allow to cool fully in the pan. Transfer to the fridge after slightly cooled and allow to cool overnight.

Once cold, turn over the container on your work surface to release the potatoes. Remove the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the potatoes into about 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Add oil to the plancha and place your potatoes down to warm and crisp up. Also add the prosciutto slices to the plancha. Cook the potatoes 2-3 minutes and then flip. Squeeze the juice from one lemon over top and continue to cook 2-3 minutes.

Make sure to also flip the prosciutto and remove once crispy. Finely chop.

Once the potatoes are golden brown on all sides, transfer to a plate. Top with Maldon salt, the chopped prosciutto and chopped chives.

And now for the full recipe...

Patate Dauphinoise

Serves 2 to 3 people

Prep Time: 24 hours

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours + 1 day

Ingredients:

3 to 4 russet potatoes

350g Gruyere or Swiss Cheese

1-1 ½ cups heavy cream

3-4 slices prosciutto di Parma

½ lemon

2-3 tbsp chopped chives

Maldon salt

How to Make Patate Dauphinoise

Set smoker to 300F.

Using a mandolin, thinly slice your potatoes into a bowl of water so they don’t brown. Grate your cheese. For best results, use a loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Place the sliced potatoes on the bottom of the pan in one layer, making sure to slightly overlap them. Once the full length of the container is covered, sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Then place another layer of overlapping potatoes on top of the cheese. Continue until the potatoes are a ½ inch from the top of the pan, making just the shredded cheese is the last layer.

Carefully pour the cream into the pan with the potatoes. Pour it in at all four corners of the pan, not directly over the cheese layer. Use all the cream or stop once you start to see the cream meet the top layer of the potatoes. Place in the smoker for 3 ½ to 4 hours.

After the four hours and the potatoes are cooked and the cheese is melted, remove from the smoker and allow to cool fully in the pan. Transfer to the fridge after slightly cooled and allow to cool overnight.

Once cold, turn over the container on your work surface to release the potatoes. Remove the parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the potatoes into about 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Add oil to the plancha and place your potatoes down to warm and crisp up. Also add the prosciutto slices to the plancha. Cook the potatoes 2-3 minutes and then flip. Squeeze the juice from one lemon over top and continue to cook 2-3 minutes.

Make sure to also flip the prosciutto and remove once crispy. Finely chop.

Once the potatoes are golden brown on all sides, transfer to a plate. Top with Maldon salt, the chopped prosciutto and chopped chives.

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