Particularly comforting on a cold winter's evening, this recipe below features two favorite "treat" ingredients—wild mushrooms and heavy cream. The precious fungus infuses the entire gratin with delicately earthy smells and flavors, and the cream forms a thick, cheese-like sauce, almost floral in its milky sweetness.
Serves 8 to 10
8 (about 3 pounds) medium red potatoes, sliced very thin
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces wild mushrooms (such as chanterelles, morels, shitakes, wood ears or a combination), coarsely sliced
3 cups heavy whipping cream
Preheat an oven to 375°F.
Coat a 2-quart baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Add about half of the potatoes to the dish, in an evenly layered scallop pattern (you may have to make a couple of layers). Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms in an even layer. Add the remaining potatoes in an even layer.
Pour about 2 1/2 cups of cream over the top of the dish. With your fingers or using a spatula, squish the potatoes down into the cream; the potatoes should be just barely submerged. If not, add more cream. Finish with another sprinkling of salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes. Using a spatula, moisten the top layer of the potatoes by pressing them down into the cream. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until all the cream has become a thick sauce, the potatoes are cooked through and the top is golden brown. Serve warm.
Copyright Jill Silverman Hough. All rights reserved.
www.jillhough.com.