Potato and garlic bake
Potatoes sliced, flavoured and baked in the oven make a delicious and satisfying dish. There are many variations and one of the nicest is with garlic and cheese, traditionally known as Potatoes Savoyarde
Seves four. Time taken 2 hours (½ hour preparation 1½ hours cooking)
1kg floury potatoes (you want them to melt together in the dish)
2 cloves garlic
80g good melting cheese like Gruyère or Cheddar
250 ml milk and water (equal quantities mixed)
butter
salt and pepper
Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, use a food processor
for speed. Butter the bottom of an ovenproof dish and cover thickly with
potato slices. Grate on a little of the cheese and add some of the
garlic (crushed) and season well with salt and pepper. Add another layer
of potatoes, cheese, garlic and seasoning until all are used up.
Pour on the milk and water mix. You should just be able to see the
liquid through the top layers. Dot the top with butter and bake in the
centre of a hot oven, 200°C/Gas 6 for 1 ½
hours. Check half way through the cooking time that the top is not
beginning to burn and cover with greaseproof paper or foil if it is.
Variations:
Use sliced onions instead of garlic and cheese and
grease the dish with fat saved from frying bacon. A layer of chopped,
fried bacon in the middle will turn this into a main dish, lovely with a
coleslaw or other cabbage salad.
Make Potatoes Normande with butter and milk flavoured with a bayleaf.
This is a particularly creamy version good with anything grilled.