Monday, April 13th Recipe

It's Monday and that means recipe time. Sunday was a relaxing day, celebrating Easter and watching the Master's. Most people have found memories of Easter and what they eat. While not on the same level as Thanksgiving for me, Easter does mean some traditions and a set menu year after year. Hands down, the number one item on most people's Easter table is ham. I decided to do a prime rib roast. Don't ask me why, I think I was craving the richness of the beef. The roast turned out great, it was everything I expected and more. I think the dish that stole the show though was my potato gratin. I took a simple recipe and put my twist on it, trying to infuse more flavor. Here is the resulting recipe….. Reader beware, not for those on diets!

Potato Gratin

Ingredients

3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 yellow onion, small diced

1 head garlic, minced

1 bunch thyme, fresh

1 head garlic, cut in half

1 pint heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

Salt, as needed

Pepper, as needed

1. Peel the potatoes, slice them very thin. I used my mandolin to achieve a consistent product. Keep the sliced potatoes in a bowl of water to keep them from oxidizing.
2. In a sauté pan, sweat the onion and garlic until translucent and soft. Adding a pinch of salt will help the sweating process by drawing out the water in the onion. Set aside.
3. In a sauce pot, combine heavy cream, the halved head of garlic and the fresh thyme. Bring to a simmer and the remove from heat. Let the mixture steep together to infuse the cream with the thyme and garlic flavor. After the mixture has steeped for 25 minutes, strain out the thyme and garlic.
4. Butter the inside of a glass baking dish. Drain the sliced potatoes. Start by placing a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of the onion and garlic mixture on top of the potatoes. Spread out evenly. Pour some of the thyme infused heavy cream mixture over the top.
5. Repeat step 4, put down another layer of potatoes, onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and top with heavy cream.
6. Continue the layering process until you have either run out of potatoes, or you reach the top of the baking dish.
7. Gently push down the layers to compact.
8. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half. It is a smart idea to put the baking dish on a flat sheet try, this will catch any of the heavy cream that bubbles out of the baking dish.