How to make a gratin dauphinois with leeks

You will be surprise to see how easy it is to make a gratin dauphinois with leeks. An original gratin dauphinois recipe does not have any cheese. I know it is hard to believe since you see so many recipes using lots of cheese. I was happy to find out that I didn’t need the extra calories in order to get a “true gratin”. 

Gratin dauphinois is a classic southern French recipe that is essentially baked potatoes in milk and cream with some seasoning. I like having this recipe in my repertoire because it is very easy to make, and I often have these ingredients in my pantry. This recipe has saved me so many times!

I have added one leek  because I really like it when paired with potatoes. It adds more flavour to the potatoes and you get more than just the potatoes when taking a bite.

What type of equipment do I need to make a gratin dauphinois?

I used a mandolin to slice my potatoes and my leek. However, if you have great knife skills, you can slice the potatoes by hand. In any cases, the slices need to be thin to cook properly. 

I also used a saucepan that was oven safe. However, you can always cook first on the stove then put your potatoes in any baking dish.

What type of potato should I use for this recipe?

You should use baking potatoes for the ultimate creaminess result. Although I have used Yukon gold potatoes and have also had great result. 

How to make an original gratin dauphinois with leeks?

Preheat oven at 375 F.

Peel the potatoes and keep them immersed in salted water to prevent them from changing colour

Slice the potatoes thinly with a mandolin.

In a saucepan on medium heat, cook the leek until it is wilt but still have its bright colours. Put it aside.

Pour the milk and heavy cream into a large oven-safe saucepan. Carefully lay the potatoes slices in the pan. Add the salt, nutmeg, and pepper on top. The liquid shouldn’t cover the potatoes. Boil it 8 min on medium high heat. This process helps release the starch from the potatoes.

After 8 min, remove the saucepan from the stove and sprinkle the potatoes with gruyere cheese.

Place the pan in the oven for 30 min.

The top layer should get brownish, and the cream and milk should become very thick and stick to the potatoes. 

Take it out of the oven and let it cool down for 5-10 min before serving it.

You can serve it with a salad on the side and some grilled meat.

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