1lb (450 g) good-quality potatoes (King Edward or Desirée)
1small clove garlic, crushed
5fl oz (150 ml) double cream
5fl oz (150 ml) milk
freshlygrated nutmeg
Somegrated gruyere cheese
1oz (25 g) butter
saltand freshly milled black pepper
Method:-
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).
First, peel the potatoes and slice them very, very thinly (a wooden mandolin is excellent for this operation, if you have one), then plunge the potato slices into a bowl of cold water and swill them round and round to get rid of some of the starch.
Now dry them very thoroughly in a clean tea cloth.
Then in the gratin dish arrange a layer of potato slices, a sprinkling of crushed garlic, gruyere cheese, pepper and salt and then another layer of potatoes, cheese and seasoning.
Now mix the cream and milk together, pour it over the potatoes, sprinkle with a little freshly grated nutmeg and grated cheese, then add the butter in flecks over the surface.
Bake on the highest shelf in the oven for 1½ hours.
