Au Gratin Potatoes w/ Fresh Herbs

On a recent weekend I made our favorite Au Gratin Potatoes for a potluck celebrating our friend Tony's (way too short) R&R leave from serving in Afghanistan.

This is the recipe that tuned me into fresh Thyme in a BIG way a few years ago. Try not to use the dried if you can help it. It makes a huge difference in this particular recipe. Any hard Parmesan that you grate yourself will taste really good but if you can afford to, please splurge a little on a Parmigiano Reggiano, you won't regret it. And, as usual, I always add more garlic and Thyme than the recipe calls for.


Potato Gratin

Serves 6

2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and sliced paper thin
2 cups heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, split
3 Tblsp chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl combine all the ingredients, tossing to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Put potato mixture into a casserole dish or 13x9 pan, flatten it out with a spatula, and bake for 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the gratin is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh chives.

From: “Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen”