[Disclosure: I was contacted to write a short review of a recipe from chefs.com, so while this is a sponsored post, everything (except the actual recipe) including the opinions expressed within it are my own.]

The following side dish recipe from chefs.com resembles the typical French dish called “Gratin Dauphinois” (sans “e”) but has a little bit of an English twist because it calls for cheddar cheese and single cream. It’s a simple yet necessary comfort food that should be in kitchen repertoires everywhere.

Prep time is a quick 10 to 15 minutes, and it takes about 60 minutes to bake for most cooks. This amount of time can vary depending on your oven. My oven is small and never needs the same cooking time as most recipes require, so I baked my gratin for about 45 minutes.

I have to admit: It was hard for me not to deviate from the original recipe because that is what I always do: I cannot leave a recipe alone! As is, however, this recipe is not only easy and fairly quick, it is also very yummy; you won’t be disappointed. How could you not like creamy, cheesy potato-y goodness? Exactly. Here’s the recipe (I’ve added some info fyi):

The gratins that I’ve eaten in French homes, have typically used gruyere cheese (or emmenthal) as well as a bit of ground nutmeg, and instead of cream, they used crème fraîche. Here, this recipe uses “single cream,” which is more of an English term. In the U.S. we’d say “half and half.” Since half and half doesn’t exist here in France (that I know of), I used whole milk mixed with whipping cream. This mixture equals the required fat content of single cream (half & half), about 18%.

While I’m on the subject of finding equivalent ingredients, cheddar cheese is sort of hard to find in France, at least where I live in Burgundy. But! It does exist here if you look hard enough. In the some parts of France, you can find it as “fromage Welch” or you will just see it labeled as “chédar” or even “Cheddar.”

The recipe itself, is straightforward and I had no problems with it. I’m afraid, though, that some people would want more details in this recipe. For example: how thin should the slices be? What size pan should I use?

You might be like me and use recipes as inspiration to have as a base, then work from there. If I were to spin a different variation on this recipe, I would definitely add layers of carmelized onions or leeks, use crème fraîche instead of cream and egg; perhaps I’d use different cheeses, maybe some crispy bacon on top or add small cubes of ham. I’d also add herbs. Possibilities: herbes de Provence or just some fresh thyme.

While typically this is a side dish, I think you could serve it as a main dish with a light, crispy salad on the side.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Recipes at Chefs.com