Sage Gruyere Potato Gratin

I was out and about all day today.   My errands composed of Christmas shopping and a basic list of essentials.  It was busy everywhere I went, but the spirit of the holidays alive and cheerful.   I landed home just before the boys were out of school so that I could tuck away their unwrapped gifts.  The moment they suspect presents have entered the house, they will be searching high and low.

I had an hour of down time so I quickly put together the gratins and returned a few phone calls.   Just before I left, I put them in the oven to bake for just shy of an hour.  I had a haircut late afternoon.  Admittedly, it was divine to sit down and relax with a cup of calming tea (made with licorice root and peppermint) and all of the lovely aromatics in the salon…bliss.   It felt good to have crossed things off the to-do list today.

Upon return, the gratin was perfectly browned and crispy around the edges.  The potatoes were just tender and the herbs savory.   There is something to love about a recipe that can be placed in the oven, left for an hour, and upon returning home find a beautifully cooked one dish dinner.  I served it with a healthy bowl of tossed field greens with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt, ground pepper.  That’s all I need.

Sage Gruyere Potato Gratin

Ingredients:

5 lbs red potatoes, sliced thin
12 oz gruyere, grated
2-4 ounces pancetta, snipped into small pieces
2 T Fustini's Provencal Herbes Olive Oil, plus extra for finishing
juice and zest of one lemon
2/3 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup milk
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
1/2 t nutmeg, freshly grated
fresh ground sea salt and pepper, to taste

Serves 8.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush a 9" x 13" baking dish or 8 individual 4" x 2 1/2" deep ramekins with the olive oil.

Slice the potatoes thin using a food processor, mandoline, or knife. Grate the gruyere cheese. Grate fresh nutmeg.

When you purchase the pancetta, have it sliced paper-thin. With kitchen scissors, cut it into approximately 1" pieces. Heat pan on high and quickly cook pancetta for 1-2 minutes to crisp it up. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, cream, and milk. Add the garlic, sage, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

To assemble the gratin, arrange one-third of the potato slices in a baking dish or ramekin. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potato slices. Sprinkle 1/3 of the pancetta and gruyere. Repeat with two more layers, finishing with a layer of gruyere on the top.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake the potatoes for about 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a fork. It will take approximately 45 minutes for the ramekins. Uncover and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil. Serves 8.