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Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin

Recipe from J. Kenji López-Alt
Adapted by Emily Weinstein
  • YIELD 6 servings
  • TIME About 2 hours

 

Melina Hammer for The New York Times

This golden and glorious mash-up of potato gratin and Hasselback potatoes, from the acclaimed food science writer J. Kenji López-Alt, has been engineered to give you both creamy potato and singed edge in each bite. The principal innovation here is placing the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish vertically, on their edges, rather than laying them flat as in a standard gratin, in order to get those crisp ridges on top. Allow extra time for the task of slicing the potatoes, for which it’s helpful to have a mandoline or food processor (though not necessary, strictly speaking). And do buy extra potatoes, just in case; you want to pack the potatoes tightly and keep them standing up straight. —Emily Weinstein

Featured in: In ‘The Food Lab,’ The Science Of Home Cooking

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 ounces finely grated Gruyère or comté cheese
  • 2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
  •  Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 4 to 4 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick on a mandoline slicer (7 to 8 medium, see note)
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

PREPARATION

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Transfer 1/3 of cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Add cream, garlic and thyme to cheese mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add potato slices and toss with your hands until every slice is coated with cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.
  2. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, organizing them into a neat stack, and lay them in the casserole dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in the dish, working around the perimeter and into the center until all the potatoes have been added. The potatoes should be very tightly packed. If necessary, slice an additional potato, coat with cream mixture, and add to casserole. Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes until the mixture comes halfway up the sides of the casserole. You may not need all the excess liquid.
  3. Cover dish tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.

Tip

  • Because of variation in the shape of potatoes, the amount of potato that will fit into a single casserole dish varies. Longer, thinner potatoes will fill a dish more than shorter, rounder potatoes. When purchasing potatoes, buy a few extra in order to fill the dish if necessary. Depending on exact shape and size of potatoes and casserole dish, you may not need all of the cream mixture. 

Kris 3 years ago

A couple of things…
1. Since Hasselback is called out here, acknowledgement to our friends in Sweden @ the Hasselback Hotel are in order. Legend has it this dish was invented there.
2. A lot of time can be saved arranging potatoes on their ends by taking a nice Yukon Gold, placing it in a wooden spoon (the spoony-end) and slicing till your knife hits the spoon. The tater stays together nicely at the bottom and it’s very easy to handle. You can google this.

 

As 2020 comes closer to blessedly ending, Thanksgiving is near. While this year has had unusual challenges, we are thankful that we and our families are weathering the storm in pretty good shape. And we give thanks that we live in Nevada County, with all the blessings that life and friends here bestow. However you, friends and family will celebrate, ENJOY THIS POTATO RECIPE FOR YOUR THANKSGIVING TABLE!

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM ALL OF US AT JOHNSON’S SIERRA LIFESTYLE TEAM!