My Dauphinoise - Best Potatoes – Ever!
The Best Potatoes – Ever! Dauphinoise
Some might disagree, but I will stand toe to toe and argue with whoever disagrees!
Ok, you might not like the crispy bacon or the caramelised onion.
It might be the cheese or even the luscious creamy sauce with undertones of garlic that doesn’t do it for you, but if that’s the case, what are you doing on my website?!
These oven baked potatoes are in the top ten list of our household potatoes.
Making a big, dish and I mean big, means that we can have them fresh straight from the oven with a crispy skinned chicken thigh.
Next day, the lovey Mr G can take some to work for a cold lunch and there’s still lots left over for a couple of meals, cold or hot.
No matter how these potatoes are eaten, they are never boring, always moist and perfect as a stand-alone side or as an accompaniment to something else!
A big dish goes a long way
What You Need
3 Garlic Cloves – peeled
1 Large Onion
2 Tsp Dried Thyme
1 Large Red Pepper
1 Pack of Bacon Lardons
300ml Double Cream
600ml Milk – of your choice
1 Bag of White Potatoes – washed and skin kept on
200g Mature Cheddar Cheese - Grated
1 Bunch of Spring Onions - chopped
Salt & Pepper
2 Tbs Vegetable Oil
2 Tsp Paprika
I like the skin on my potatoes - washed of course!
How It’s Done
Place the oil and bacon into a frying pan and cook on a medium heat until the bacon is crispy.
Once crispy, remove from the pan and place onto some kitchen paper to drain.
De-seed and chop the red pepper into medium pieces.
Peel and thinly slice the onion.
Place the sliced onion and chopped pepper into the same pan that the bacon was cooked in.
Add salt, pepper and the paprika and cook on a low to medium heat until the onion is soft and slightly brown and the pepper is soft.
Once cooked, switch off the heat and leave the onions and peppers to cool a little.
Place the cream and milk into a saucepan along with the two garlic cloves.
Heat the cream mixture until almost boiling.
Transfer the cream mixture into a pot large enough to hold all of the sliced potatoes.
Cut the clean potatoes into slices around the thickness of a £1 coin – See Tip Box
Place the sliced potatoes into the large pot along with the hot cream mixture and the garlic.
Bring the mixture to the boil and then reduce the heat and place a lid on the pot.
Cook the potatoes for 3-5 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180c
Start to layer up the potatoes into a large oven proof dish.
Firstly, a layer of the potatoes followed by a layer of the onions, peppers and bacon.
Season with salt and pepper.
Repeat with more potatoes, another layer of the onions, peppers and bacon then more potatoes.
Repeat one more time ending with a layer of potatoes.
Pour the remaining cream liquid over the last layer if the potatoes.
Lay the spring onions over the top of the potatoes followed by all of the grated cheese.
Place the dish onto an oven tray – See Tip Box
Place the tray with the potatoes into the hot oven and cook for at least 40 minutes, until the top is a dark colour and the potatoes are soft all the way through when a knife is inserted into the middle.
Remove from the oven and serve hot or cold
Never waste any of that amazing sauce!
Tip Box
Potatoes – 1) I like to keep the skin on the potatoes, but if you want to peel them go ahead.
2) Slicing the potatoes to the thickness of a £1 coin, but no need to be very precise. Keeping the potatoes sliced evenly helps them cook more or less at the same time.
Oven Tray – Placing the dish of potatoes onto a tray means that if the potatoes boil over, the tray will catch the over fill.
