Rustic is the key here because like much French cuisine, this has been elevated to the ridiculous in terms of technique and ingredients.
Let's take it back! It's a simple dish after all ...
Fancy it? You'll need the following:
- Potatoes
- Cream or Crème Fraîche
- Garlic (Cloves or Powdered)
- White Pepper
- Sea Salt
- Butter
Peel and slice the potatoes. If you have a mandolin slicer, great, otherwise use your vegetable peeler or a good kitchen knife. Slice into your cooking bowl so that you have the quantity to use and keep going until the cooking receptacle is maybe three quarters full.
Like all ancestral cooking, we're not limiting ourselves to this one meal - leftovers are great! Make a big batch and enjoy the rest re-heated.
With sufficient potatoes, we can now add the rest of the ingredients.
If you're using powdered garlic, sprinkle some over, along with white pepper and sea salt. Mix well and give another sprinkle ... mix well ... you get the drill. Cloves of garlic should be crushed and stirred into the cream to ensure it is well distributed ...
... and so, onto the cream. Using double cream or crème fraîche, pour in enough to coat the potatoes as you mix them into the cream with your hands. Use a little to start with - you can always add more.
Pat the potatoes down to make a flat cake and dot some butter over which will crisp up the top and giev a lovely flavour and texture to the dish.
Into the oven set to 175C (350F?) for an hour, or so. An hour is good for maybe an inch and a half thick and thinly sliced potatoes. You'll want longer and perhaps a lower temperature if yours is deeper or thicker slices.
See? I told you it was easy ... or "rustic" ...
Serve alongside whatever it is you're eating ...
We finished off a corned beef and vegetable stew and had some turkey sausages on top, and we'll have the leftovers later in the week with some haddock, pickled vegetables and chimichurri.
Like all ancestral cooking, we're not limiting ourselves to this one meal - leftovers are great! Make a big batch and enjoy the rest re-heated.
With sufficient potatoes, we can now add the rest of the ingredients.
If you're using powdered garlic, sprinkle some over, along with white pepper and sea salt. Mix well and give another sprinkle ... mix well ... you get the drill. Cloves of garlic should be crushed and stirred into the cream to ensure it is well distributed ...
... and so, onto the cream. Using double cream or crème fraîche, pour in enough to coat the potatoes as you mix them into the cream with your hands. Use a little to start with - you can always add more.
Pat the potatoes down to make a flat cake and dot some butter over which will crisp up the top and giev a lovely flavour and texture to the dish.
Into the oven set to 175C (350F?) for an hour, or so. An hour is good for maybe an inch and a half thick and thinly sliced potatoes. You'll want longer and perhaps a lower temperature if yours is deeper or thicker slices.
See? I told you it was easy ... or "rustic" ...
Serve alongside whatever it is you're eating ...
We finished off a corned beef and vegetable stew and had some turkey sausages on top, and we'll have the leftovers later in the week with some haddock, pickled vegetables and chimichurri.
