Potato & Bacon Gratin

A gratin, which originated in France, is a dish in which the ingredients are allowed to form a crust. Either the ingredients form the crust or the ingredients are topped with something that will make a crust. Gratins typically are topped with a mix of butter and breadcrumbs or with cheese. The most basic and well known of gratins are scalloped potatoes. This recipe is an off-shoot of the basic recipe. It's virtually fool-proof and amazingly delicious. We paired this with Mustard, Herb and Garlic Encrusted Beef Tenderloin. All I can say is WOW.

Some recipes call for soaking and draining the sliced potatoes, twice, to remove excess starch. I don’t do that, so I can’t comment on whether it’s worth the extra work.


Serves 6

8 slices smoked bacon, rind removed, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
20 or more whole sage leaves
4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed (Yukon Gold or Charlotte are preferred, but not essential)
10 oz. double cream or crème fraiche (I use a mix of 5 oz. 1/2+1/2 or heavy cream and 5 oz. milk)
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup smoked mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Fry the bacon in the oil for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Remove from heat as you add the sage and garlic. Cook one or two minutes and remove from heat. Set skillet aside.

Arrange enough sliced potatoes (not peeled) to cover a large cutting board (or cookie sheet or whatever) and season evenly with salt and pepper. Place potatoes into a large bowl. Repeat until all the potatoes are seasoned and in the bowl. Add contents of the skillet. Add the cream to the bowl. Mix and place into a shallow baking dish or casserole (~ 9” x 13”). Cover with aluminum foil and place in the bottom third of the oven for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese and cook an additional 5 minutes. Feel free to broil it for two minutes to give it a nice crust.