Before we share a recipe with you, please join us in wishing our sister Rayna a very happy birthday!
And a happy Hanukkah to everyone!
Now, back to food:
When we were in Ireland, we had the most delicious potato gratin at a little cafe on Inishmore, the largest of a group of islands called the Aran Islands. We had to take a ferry there from where we were staying in the amazing town Doolin, and the water was rough, but this recipe was worth getting seasick on the trip back. We spent the day exploring a place much more remote than the island we live on, seeing beautiful old sites and gorgeous green views! This gratin was one of the only vegetarian things on the menu at the cafe, and one of the few things that didn’t include sausage, which is why we ordered it. After the first bite I asked them how the prepared it; I had to recreate it at home!
The beautiful prehistoric ring fort, Dún Aengus:
I got a pound of potatoes from my last CSA pickup, and I already had a gratin dish at home (which I’d used for other things, but never before for gratin), which presented the perfect opportunity to make this dish.
It was really easy to make, and it tasted just as good as I remembered!
Rosemary-Infused Potato Gratin
Ingredients:
- 1 lb potatoes
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk – if you use lower fat milk, it will probably curdle
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese – of course, you could use Parmesan, too! Especially for sprinkling on the top layer.
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Peel and slice the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds. Peel the garlic cloves and cut them in half.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the milk, cream, garlic and rosemary. When the mixture starts to bubble, lower the heat, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Strain the cream mixture.
- Meanwhile, layer the potatoes evenly onto the bottom of your baking dish. Add about 1/3 of the cream mixture and 1/3 of the cheese. I ended up with 3 layers, but that will depend on the size of your dish.
- Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until the top turns golden brown. Serve hot.
