The Best Potato Gratin

Like macaroni and cheese, I'm always on the hunt for a good potato gratin recipe. I've never had luck with them before, but I think this one is a winner. It was inspired by a recipe I found on www.jamieoliver.com . His recipe was a little large for two and I had different ingredients, so this is my version. It will serve 4 to 6 people easily. The potatoes are nice and creamy with a nice cheesy topping that does not overpower the dish.

The Best Potato Gratin


150ml (¼pt) double cream
50ml skim milk
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. thyme leaves
 Salt and freshly ground black pepper
650g potatoes, well scrubbed, thinly sliced
Handful mozzarella, grated
77g pancetta, cubed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Lightly grease a square ovenproof dish.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Mix double cream, skim milk, bay leaf, garlic, thyme and salt and pepper in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, add sliced potatoes and stir gently. Pour into square baking dish and spread evenly. In the meantime, brown pancetta in hot oil until golden brown, drain on paper towels. Top potatoes with cheese and pancetta, cover with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more until top is golden brown.

The Hot Potato - Leeds

The Hot Potato is not really a food truck, it's a food trailer. Inside is a large cast iron oven loaded with foil wrapped potatoes just waiting to be topped with all sorts of food. It's situated along one of the pedestrian walkways in Leeds city center shopping area. Every time I walk by, there are usually long lines, especially at lunch time. I finally decided to stop by the other day and see what all the fuss was about. There were people sitting on benches close by eating what I could only imagine were the potatoes. They were buried under so much food that it was hard to tell.

I stood in line and watched and listened as people ordered. The guy right in front of me ordered a jacket with butter, beans and cheese. Beans!!! The British love their baked beans. The lady in the truck ladled this huge spoonful (at least a cup) of beans onto the buttered potato then dumped at least a cup of cheddar on that. The lid was closed and handed to the customer. My turn... Here were some of the choices; butter, beans, cheese, tuna, chili, coleslaw plus others. And you could order more than one topping. I ordered a jacket with butter and cheese for 3 pounds. She topped my potato with at least a cup and a half of some really awesome British white cheddar. I handed her my money and headed home to devour my meal. I could eat only half, so the rest  would be eaten the next day. That was a very cheap and yummy meal!

Roasted Rosemary Baby New Potatoes

This is another side that I prepared to go with my pork chops. It's a rendition of the ones I make at home, only I used duck fat as opposed to olive oil in the recipe. I had mentioned seeing goose fat at the market to Lee and Laura and they informed me that the fat makes the best roasted potatoes. They were very good, crispy and creamy.

 Roasted Rosemary Baby New Potatoes

250 grams baby new potatoes

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 Tbsp. dry rosemary

1 Tbsp. duck fat

salt and pepper

Toss all of the ingredients on a small roasting pan and place in a 400 degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes.