While you can prepare the recipes below from scratch, do know I made them from ingredients salvaged from a failed soup. As a result, they aren’t as precise as usual.
For the potato gratin:
butter, for the baking dish
A generous 1 pound/700 grams waxy potatoes, either scrubbed or peeled and sliced thinly
1 small carrot, either scrubbed or peeled and thinly sliced into coins
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
enough heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half to cover the potatoes
salt and pepper
panko or bread crumbs
If your potatoes are raw, parboil or microwave them until just tender: you should be able to break one in half with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Note that I used a clay baking dish to make my gratin, so instead of preheating the oven, I started the gratin cold. This way, the dish would not shatter.
Butter a baking dish lavishly. Arrange the potato slices in a single layer, adding the carrot and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the baking dish on a baking sheet, then pour enough cream into the baking dish to just cover the potatoes. You don’t want them swamped; see photo, above.
Carefully place the baking sheet/gratin dish in the oven and bake; about ten minutes before the gratin is done, add panko or bread crumbs on top, if desired. Total baking time is 30-45 minutes, depending on size of dish.
Potato gratin may be served as a side dish, but it’s so rich we eat it as a main with green salad. Gratin will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to four days. While you can freeze a potato gratin, its texture will suffer.