When it comes to fine dining, there’s seemingly no limit to the innovation and creativity of the best French chefs. Many of sautéing onions or garlic. Still, French food isn’t just fancy high-end recipes that few of us can afford. Much of the food is very accessible, uses country ingredients and results in absolutely delicious meals. Although potatoes may be America’s favorite vegetable, the way the French use them in their recipes is something to marvel at.
Fortunately, we have just one of those recipes for you today. Have you ever heard of dauphinoise potatoes before? If not, don’t be intimidated by the name: it’s actually just a creamy and sumptuous potato bake that you can actually pull off using a slow cooker. If you follow these instructions, you’ll be left with a hearty potato dish that will melt in your mouth and impress any party guests you’re sure to have over. Sound good? Then let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 pounds of russet potatoes, sliced thinly
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced into a paste
- 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup of powdered parmesan
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- pepper
Here’s what you do:
1. Before anything else, get out a small bowl and mix together your heavy cream with your cornstarch to form a slurry. Stir it up completely to get out any lumps.
2. Next, pour your slurry into the slow cooker along with your additional heavy cream, evaporated milk, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix everything up once again. With your sauce ready, get out a cutting board and chop up your potatoes into fine slices, each one about 1/8th of an inch thick. Add them to your slow cooker and arrange them all in the sauce so that they’re sitting flat and are slightly pressed into the liquid. Use enough liquid that the potatoes are just about even with the surface of it.
3. With everything assembled, sprinkle the top of it with your parmesan cheese, cover your slow cooker and let it all cook on high for three hours.
4. After that time has passed, open the lid a little bit to the let the steam out and let it cook for another 30 minutes. At the end, check to see that the potatoes are soft and the cheesy sauce has thickened. If everything looks good, serve and enjoy!
Although this recipe has all the French flair and decadence you would expect from the fanciest of restaurants, it can be put together in almost no time at all right at home. Slow cookers prove themselves so useful again and again, and this recipe is just another example of that. While the instructions above will produce a great result, feel free to experiment with your own flavors and cheeses—parmesan is definitely not the only thing you can add here! Above all, have fun and let us know what you think!
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