Decadent Dauphinoise - Potato Heaven

The only thing better than Potatoes Dauphinoise is making them with friends you love in their spectacular chef's kitchen, and then devouring them along with succulent leg of lamb, and cumin and pistachio crusted green beans...in a lovey bowl with elegant serving utensils. There...all in one sentence!!

This is a one dish wonder. You will need a medium to large cast iron or oven proof pan. 

Pre- heat the oven to 350F. But, the first part of the assembly is on the stove top.

Finely slice starchy potatoes and 1 large onion, on a mandolin is preferable. Slice a few cloves of garlic as well.

In olive oil and butter, begin caramelizing the onions with a few fresh sprig of thyme. A trick we just learned is to add some water to the pan and cover. This will steam the onions for about 5-8 min or so and let out the natural sugars which help speed up the caramelization process. It really worked out!

Once the onion are golden in color, add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. When you can smell the garlic, add a bit more butter and then 2 tbsp. of flour to make the roux. This mixture must cook down for a few minutes or the result will taste of raw flour. 

Once cooked, add a bit of milk at a time and keep stirring. Add enough milk to ensure that the potatoes slices you will now add will be just covered with the sauce. We added some 35% cream, and yes...it adds the decadent creaminess this dish is all about. 

The pan must come to a gentle boil and must simmer until the potatoes are tender, almost cooked through. Test with a knife after about 15 or 20 minutes. While simmering, add some chicken bouillon, salt, thickly ground pepper and the KEY, freshly ground nutmeg, lots. The addition of a bay leaf at this point is a great idea!!

While this pan cooks, prepare some grated cheese. The dish calls for either shredded gruyere or emmental cheese and some old cheddar. Once the potatoes are tender, place the cheese on top and put the pan in the oven for about 20 minutes or until melted golden brown. 

These are the BEST, and even better when shared with friends you adore!

 

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Literally... Chicken in a Pot

This is the most unassuming recipe you could ever imagine. Succulent, kind of poached delectable chicken. This is Rita's recipe, simply lovely and refined just like she is, and one that I make over and over again. 

French Chicken in a Pot

1 large onion

2 celery sticks

5 cloves garlic

1 large bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary
 
Rub the chicken with coarse salt. No pepper. In a medium sized Creuset pot, or any pot that can go in the oven, brown the chicken on both sides in olive oil.  Add the cut up onion and celery, bay leaf, rosemary and whole garlic cloves.  Add about 1/4 to 1 cup white wine. It depends on the width of the pot, ensure about 1.5 inches of liquid.  Cover the pot with foil (make sure the foil overlaps the pot and is tightly sealed), then put the lid on.  Cook in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours.  The chicken will steam-cook.

After 2 hours, remove the chicken, wrap with the foil and let sit for approx. 15 minutes.  In the meantime, strain the jus from the Creuset and discard the veggies, Serve this subtle chicken with jus on your favorite rice, I love this with brown rice. Such a refined and simply flavored dish.

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