Madame Larachine's Potato Gratin

Very rich and very delicious. Cooking the potatoes in a garlic/bay leaf infused mix of whole milk and water adds a real depth of garlicky flavor. The drained potatoes are then topped with creme fraiche and Gruyere and baked.

It's a heart attack on a plate but worth every step on the treadmill that it takes to work it off.

It was easy enough to halve this recipe (used two russets) and produce four small to moderate portion sizes. Although I reduced my cooking time (to 7-8 minutes from 10) for the potatoes in milk because I was doing a half recipe, I might reduce to 6-7 minutes as a number (not all) of my potatoes slices fell apart on being transferred to the baking dish. Made no difference at all to the flavor though.

Served with buttermilk roast chicken and sauteed spinach.