We have family visiting from out of town this week, and this twist on a favorite Suzanne Goin Potato Gratin is top of the menu. It’s a bit of a project, but worth it if you have the time and are in the mood for a slicey-dicey sort of afternoon in the kitchen.
Potato Gratin with Tomatoes and Spices: The Inspiration
One of the things I like about Suzanne’s gratin is the way she strikes bright, flavorful, deep and rustic notes in a preparation that isn’t overly decadent. I’m not typically a fan of creamy starch-bomb gratins. And this is not that. Instead, you line a baking dish with layers of deeply caramelized onions, thinly sliced potatoes, ripe tomato slices, and slivered basil. The potatoes are tossed with a modest amount of cream which ends up percolating through the other ingredients while baking. On a whim, I decided to take a detour from the version in Sunday Suppers at Lucques which happens to be beautifully thyme-centric. Instead, I combined Indian curry spices (I use a Madras blend here) with the onions, and introduced those flavors to the gratin. So fragrant, so good!
This is the sort of dish that is perfect just out of the oven. Or reheated the day after. Or the day after that. But be sure to read through the recipe entirely before committing to it – the prep takes some time, and it takes a good amount of time to bake. Also, be sure to use vibrant, flavorful, in-season tomatoes.
A Few Variations
The onions, tomatoes, and potatoes are the three pillars here. You can experiment beyond that with other spice blends, or other herbs. Here are some ideas:
- Saffron Infused: If you’re feeling extra ambitious, gently infuse about ten threads of saffron into warm cream a few hours before making this curry spiced gratin. Allow to cool. The saffron with tomatoes combination is extra special.
- Pesto Potato Gratin: Whisk 1/4 cup of pesto into the cream and proceed with the recipe.
- Coconut Milk Version: Sheri mentions down in the comments, “I made this with light coconut milk and it was great.”
Make Ahead
Aside from slicing the potatoes, you can do much of the prep for this gratin ahead of time. You can caramelize and prepare the onions a day or two ahead. Slicing the tomatoes can also be done. Ideally, bring everything to room temperature and slice the potatoes just before assembling the gratin. If you slice the potatoes too early they will oxidize and turn an unappetizing shade of gray. You can see above how the gratin looks before baking, and after.
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