Potato Gratin
Delicate and charming mini potato gratins
Tender potato slices in a fragrant custard; the potato gratin raises the humble spud to a heavenly level. If you then also prepare individual gratins in a muffin tins, you have a delicious and elegant side dish for a feast.
Ingredients
(only slightly adapted from the recipe found on the blog “in socks monkey slippers”)
Serves 4 as part of a meal with several courses
butter
1 garlic cloves
1 shallot
60ml (1/2 cup) milk
60ml (1/2 cup) cream
50 + 25g Gruyere cheese (1/2 cup + ¼ cup)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 to 4 hard-boiling or baking potatoes
Recipe
- Preheat oven to 200C (400F).
- Butter a 6 cup muffin tin.
- Cut baking paper into strips and lay two strips cross-wise into each muffin tin cup (to help you lift out the cooked gratin).
- Finely chop garlic and shallots.
- Grate the Gruyere.
- Combine garlic, shallots, 2/3 of the cheese with milk, cream, salt, pepper, thyme.
- Peel potatoes and slice into thin slices. Layer into the muffin tin until ¾ full.( I take the trouble of filling the gaps on the sides with little potato pieces). The top slice should be as large and perfectly round as possible.
- Equally divide the cheese mixture over the muffin cups.
- Loosely cover tin with aluminum foil. Bake 35 minutes. (If I am cooking for a party I prepare the dish up to this stage and then allow it to come back to room temperature. I feel it actually tastes softer when reheated).
- Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for an additional 10 – 20 minutes (depending on whether the dish is piping hot or whether it is room temperature).
- Allow to set for 5 minutes before removing from the tin and serving.
Serve with
afra cooking 
It somehow reminds me of Ikea, I don’t know why. I think there are some potatoes they sell that almost look like this. This sounds delicious too. Thanks for sharing!