Week 15 Finalists: Best Potato Gratin

Photo Slideshows

Check out the slideshows below to see us prepare the finalist recipes from this week's Best Potato Gratin contest!

Potato Leek au Gratin

The secret to a great gratin is not trying too hard. Potatoes are delicious; there’s no need to smother them. And this is a point that AlexisC clearly gets. Her potatoes are gently scented with leek and garlic and enriched with cream and Gruyere. AlexisC has you bake the gratin at a fairly low temp – 300 degrees – so by the time the gratin emerges from the oven, the layers of potato are buttery in texture and topped with a crisp, caramelized crust. As for all gratins, buy yourself a mandoline (the best are the inexpensive Japanese-style ones) – it will preserve your sanity and make for uniform slices. - A&M

The recipe calls for two medium leeks. Our leeks were on the small side, so we used three.

Most people clean leeks by slicing them in half lengthwise and rinsing them under running water. Amanda, having much leek experience, thinks they get cleaner by cutting them...

... and then adding them to a bowl of water. She agitates them a bit, and then lifts them out of the (now dirty) water. It works like a charm, and is far more dependable than the other method!

As you slice the potatoes, be sure to put them right into cold water. Potatoes oxidize and turn brown very quickly.

After sautéing the leeks slowly, we add the garlic and a splash of vermouth.

Assembly time! As Merrill dries the slices of potato, Amanda begins to (compulsively) lay down the slices in the dish.

You pour the cream slowly over the potatoes, finish the dish with a few shavings of guyere, and into the oven it goes.

Individual Sweet Potato Gratins with Creme Fraiche, Onions, and Bacon

Sweet potatoes are often made even more sweet using ingredients like maple syrup, brown sugar, molasses, and even marshmallows. We like that apartmentcooker goes definitively in the other direction by adding bacon, parmesan, onion, garlic and a crème fraîche bechamel, while still paying homage to more traditional recipes (she adds a tablespoon of brown sugar to the bechamel, with delightful results). Thinly sliced sweet potatoes are layered in the baking dish (we used one dish big enough for two rather than individual ones) with bechamel, crisped bacon, and raw onions and garlic, which infuse the gratin with their fragrance. A sprinkling of parmesan on top helps with browning, but if you want a little more color, pop the gratin under the broiler for a few minutes at the end. We found that 20-25 minutes baking time was perfect for a two-person baking dish. - A&M

Amanda has a great mini-rasp grater perfect for nutmeg, but any Microplane will do!

The beginnings of a roux on the right, and the bacon just starting to render on the left. The roux will become the bechamel, and the bacon will be mixed with onion for a filling.

It was just about time to add the milk to the bechamel -- the roux had thickened, but hadn't yet browned, and the raw flour taste had been cooked out.

After adding the milk, the bechamel thickens. To this, we added creme fraiche, nutmeg, and brown sugar, making an incredibly delicious sauce.

A Japanese-style mandoline is very helpful in achieving 1/8" slices, but be hyper aware of your fingers! A sharp knife would also do it, but since most of Amanda's knives resemble canoe paddles...

We didn't have individual gratin dishes, so we made gratin for two!

After layering the sweet potatoes and the bechamel, we added some of the onion/bacon mixture, and repeated.

We finished with a thin layer of parmesan cheese, and into the oven.

To get those gorgeous brown bits, we ran it under the broiler for a minute or so.