Try 2 creamy, decadent, heavenly recipes

Try these 2 decadent, tasty potato and celeriac gratin dauphinois recipes.

Gratin dauphinois is lush.

And adding celeriac gives it an edge.

For a rather ugly, knobbly veggie, it is a winner with flavour.

Celeriac has a subtle nutty-celery-like flavour.

And when baked with potatoes, smothered garlic cream.

It’s the ultimate comfort food.

And an exquisite side dish to any meal.

But I need to clear some cooking terms up first.

Grain vs dauphinois... is it the same thing?

Grain vs dauphinois

No, they are not the same thing.

Bt they aren’t hugely different.

And from recipes I’ve come across, they definitely are inter-changed or tweaked to use similar methods.

 Gratin

  • Means a dish that has a crunchy top.
  • Thin slices of pre-cooked potato cooked in cream and topped with cheese makes it a gratin.

Gratin Dauphinois

  • Also made of thinly-sliced (not pre-cooked) potatoes that cook in cream.
  • Dauphinoise traditionally does not contain any cheese.

1. Celeriac and potato gratin dauphinois recipe

This recipe comes from one of my fave magazines, Delicious

  • SERVES: 6
  • PREP TIME: 10 mins
  • COOKING TIME: 1.5 hrs incl infusing Time
  • DIFFICULTY: easy

Ingredients

  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 200ml double cream
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • a large celeriac, peeled and cut into 3mm slices + you may want to cut into quarters to handle more easily
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3mm slices
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C.
  2. In a saucepan, bring 200ml vegetable stock to the boil with the 2 garlic cloves. Then remove from the heat and stir in 200ml double cream. Set aside to cool and infuse.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onion for 10 mins or until very soft.
  4. Slice the celeriac and potatoes into 3mm thick slices (use a mandoline or a sharp knife). Then put them into bowl and toss with the plain flour, the parsley and some seasoning.
  5. Butter a 1.2-litre ovenproof dish and layer up the celeriac, potatoes and the softened onion.
  6. Strain the cream mixture (discard the garlic) into a jug and pour over the gratin.
  7. Bake for 1-1¼ hrs, until golden brown and bubbling and the potatoes are cooked through.
Celeriac and potato gratin dauphinois

2. Marcus Waring’s celeriac and tahini potato gratin recipe

  • SERVES: 4-6
  • PREP TIME: 30 mins
  • COOKING TIME: 1.5 – 2 hrs
  • DIFFICULTY: pretty easy

Ingredients

  • Butter to grease
  • 800g floury potatoes, peeled
  • 1 large celeriac (about 700g), peeled
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked, plus extra to garnish
  • 200g tahini
  • 600ml good-quality vegetable stock, warmed
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground white pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Handful grated mature cheddar to cover

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan and grease a large casserole (about 26cm) with butter.
  2. Using a mandoline, food processor with a slicer function, or sharp knife, thinly slice the potatoes and celeriac 2mm thick. (*cut it into half or quarters first for easier slicing).
  3. Arrange a layer of sliced celeriac in the bottom of the greased baking dish and season with a little of the salt and pepper.
    1. Follow with a thin layer of sliced onion and thyme leaves, then a single layer of potatoes. Season again.
    2. Repeat the layering of vegetables and thyme until they’ve all been used.
  4. Whisk the tahini and vegetable stock together in a jug until evenly combined, then mix in the remaining salt and pepper and the garlic powder.
  5. Pour the tahini mixture over the layered vegetables, then cover with foil.
  6. Bake the gratin in the oven for 1¼-1½ hrs.
  7. To test if it’s cooked, push a small knife into the centre – the potato and celeriac should be soft all the way through and the knife should meet no resistance.
    • If necessary, cover with foil again and return to the oven for 15 mins more until soft (before adding the cheese).
  8. When the gratin is cooked, remove the foil, sprinkle with grated cheese and return to the oven for 15 mins to brown.
  9. Sprinkle with extra thyme and wait a few minutes before serving.

Recipe: Marcus Waring; Delicious mag