Day 342: cream-drenched carbs

I don’t really need to say a lot when it comes to a bubbling lake of carbs and molten cream, do I? If cream-drenched carbs are your thing, this one is definitely for you. And if they’re not, look away now! Day 342 is Nigella’s Creamy Potato Gratin, from (and I know I say it every time) my favourite of all the tomes - Bites.

Nigella’s Creamy Potato Gratin

I never make small gratins, or reduce recipe quantities, because snacking on cooled gratin directly from the baking dish throughout the evening, and then again the next morning, is quite frankly unbeatable and one of life’s greatest pleasures. Also, reheated the right way they’re just as delightful (if not more so) on their second outing, when all the cream has seemingly soaked into the tender potato - giving you a single slab of what I imagine the very walls of Heaven to be built upon.

I leave leftovers in the original baking dish, let cool, and then cover and refrigerating whatever has managed to survive the evening snacking. How I reheat, should you be interested: find a baking dish that the leftover slab of gratin will fit in and grease it with a little butter; pour in some double cream, a little full-fat milk and salt and pepper to taste; lift the slab of gratin (for ease I do this whilst still fridge-cold) and lay into the greased, cream-filled tin, pressing down and breaking up a little to allow the cream to bubble up through; and then bake in the oven at 200°C/180°C until piping hot. Whilst there would of course be absolutely nothing wrong with reheating without these steps, I am a lover of sauce and moist foods and so take this measure with potato gratin to ensure maximum creaminess is maintained and delivered. Of course, there's also the Gratin Bites route: cut the cold slab into bitesize squares, dredge each one in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs, and shallow/deep fry.

Recipe for Nigella’s Creamy Potato Gratin is in Bites and on nigella.com (link below).