Gratin de pommes de terre (Potato Gratin)

WeeklyTimesNow,. 'Western Australian Potato Marketing Campaign Pays Dividends'. N.p., 2015. Web. 12 Sept. 2015.

Feature Ingredient: Potato 

Potatoes are starchy tuberous roots that are a staple in the world's food supply; they are the world's 4th most produced food crop, supplied all year round with countries China, India, and Russia being the top 3 producers. According to Wikipedia, potatoes were first domesticated in the region of modern-day southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia between 8000 - 5000BC. It has since spread all over the world and has diversified into thousands of different potato varieties. e.g. Sebago, Pontiac, Delaware, Desiree. Each variation of potato has similar nutritional qualities; they contain vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6. However, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content, in the form of starch; this gives us approximately 276kj/100g that we consume.

Consumers should also note that potatoes contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids (with the purpose of protecting the plant from animals; they are also found in eggplants and tomatoes!) that are mainly concentrated in its leaves, stems, sprouts and fruits. It is least concentrated in the flesh of the potato, but green potatoes should be avoided! When selecting potatoes, choose smooth firm potatoes with no wrinkles, cracks, bruises, decay or green areas. 

Today we'll be using potatoes to make a gratin, originating from french cuisine. It is also known as potatoes gratiné, scalloped potatoes, potato bake and potatoes au gratin.

Recipe: Gratin de pommes de terre

Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients:

15 - 20 small potatoes, peeled and sliced into 0.5cm slices

300ml thickened cream

1 packet of MasterFoods creamy herb & garlic potato bake recipe base

1 brown onion, diced

7 bacon rashers, diced 

5 garlic cloves, minced

Handful of shredded mozzarella cheese.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C. 
2. Cover the entire base of the baking dish with potato slices. This may mean overlapping some slices to ensure everything has been covered. 
3. Sprinkle a layer of diced onion and bacon onto the potatoes. Cover again with another layer of potatoes, repeating this process until the baking dish is full.
4. To make the sauce, combine the thickened cream, MasterFoods recipe base and minced garlic. Mix until combined and then drizzle the sauce all over the potatoes.
5. Cover the baking dish with a layer of aluminium foil and put into the oven for 40 minutes or until the potato is soft (use a skewer to check). 
6. Take the dish out and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Return back into the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and becomes golden.
7. Serve whilst hot.

Here's some photos...

Dice and slice all the ingredients to start

To make the sauce, combine thickened cream, garlic, and recipe base, mix well.

Layer the bacon bits, onion, and potatoes.

Pour the mixture over the whole baking dish

Cover with aluminium foil and set in the oven

Top with cheese and set in the oven for an additional 10 minutes.

Ratings/Comments:

Price: 4/5

Difficulty: 2/5

Taste: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

(1 being lowest/not good - 5 being highest/best)

An easy recipe that everyone should give a go! So delicious and simple, considering how little ingredients are needed. I think the onion and bacon added a great touch to the gratin, it almost reminisces flavours of carbonara pasta! I didn't encounter any major difficulties when cooking this up, though I do suggest that you make sure that the potatoes at the base of the baking dish is just as soft as those sitting at the top - this will ensure that everything is cooked to perfection before you go ahead and top it with cheese. But other than that, this recipe is super easy and quick to whip up. Hope you give it a go!

- C