Tuesday 7 August 2012

Au Gratin Potatoes with Ricotta

Do you know what it's like when you get up in the morning and thoughts are forming in your head and they keep on working during the day while you are at work and then you travel back home, open the door, get to your kitchen and then you say to yourself: "Now we are going to cook what was up there all the day!"?
It looked a bit like this.


Can you see it? I mean the one on the right said, the au gratin thingy.
I got all my potatoes left in the storage and did the peeling. Next the slicing. There is this useful tool I have somewhere in the kitchen, a kind of mandoline-slicer. In no time you have a couple of tomatoes sliced - thinly.
However, caution is needed. We need to be focused here or otherwise ... well, you get the kind of colour on your potatoes you don't appreciate (OK, the colour is fine, if made from tomatoes). Anyway, I don't want to go too much into detail, do I? 
Up to this day I'm wearing the reminder on my right thumb, from when I very quickly (far too quickly) sliced a cucumber. Not pleasant, no, no! Well, it doesn't look too bad, but ... I can't say it often enough: "Be careful when working with sharp objects!"
Back to something more pleasant.
By now you know, we need potatoes. Find out for yourself, how many you like. 
What else?

250 g Ricotta (if you know how to do it, you can make your own with milk, salt and lemon)
50 ml cream
100 g grated cheddar
One egg
Salt, pepper, dill

Mix these things together.
Now we go to the sliced - clean - potatoes.


They go to an oven proof dish as shown in the picture above. Then you try to spread the ricotta-mix on it. At this point I noticed that I need to add the cream to the mix (or use milk if you are afraid of the fat).


You repeat that until you have no potato slices and ricotta-mix left. It would be best to finish with the cheese mixture. Then grate some more cheddar over it.


Here comes the point were you want to transfer it to the heated up oven (200°C - what you think?). I thought about 35 minutes would do.


Do you notice something? Well, not? Have a try. The potatoes are not quite through ... back to the oven, 10 more minutes ...
Well, it felt like you need to put it in the oven for about 1000 minutes. Maybe it would have been better to pre-cook the slices for 10 minutes or so. Even tough the slices are quite thin, it still takes some time, when you put them raw into the oven.
Maybe I have to try another time again. 
Whatever, once you feel your potatoes are ready serve them with some meat and if you thought about it a salad on the side. 
That's how things go, when ideas suddenly get to your mind and then just do it.
You might remember, I even tried to make my own yoghurt, but ... well ... you know!

11 comments:

  1. These potatoes au gratin sound delicious and I love that you took the time to make them from scratch instead of buying pre made. And your story about the mandolin and your finger - that's exactly why I don't own a mandolin and have no plans to buy one ;) I know it would save me a lot of time, but I just can't stand the thought of what could happen...

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    1. Yep, just thinking about ... well if I would let my thoughts go deeper into it again ... it would require drinking a grappa or ouzo.

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  2. I've not tried with ricotta before! Looks great. I know what you mean about it taking ages to cook through, been there!

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    1. The ricotta was lingering out there, so it had to go in and ... it worked.

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  3. I love it... and yes you have to be so careful too... anything potatoey and cheesey is OK by me and the added ricotta is a great idea too... lovely recipe but you do need to get yourself a better camera now, we need to see those stunning dishes!!

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    1. At that time I was more concerned with eating than was anything else, but you have a point, though. Any suggestions?

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  4. I love au gratin potatoes but have never made my own - the risk of injury could be fatal! :) I'm a real klutz.

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  5. Do be careful Chris - you need to keep those fingers. Sounds like another delicious dish. I keep meaning to try making ricotta as You can't buy it around here, but still haven't managed it!

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    1. I try my best to be careful, but often that is not enough!
      As to making ricotta, I would like to do that as well one day.

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