Creamy Cheddar and Bacon Hasselback Potato Gratin Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make Jamie Oliver's Essex Hasselback potatoes? ›

Carefully slice at just under ½cm intervals all the way along. Repeat with all the potatoes, placing them in a large roasting tray as you go. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, and roast for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are golden and tender. Remove and leave to cool.

Scalloped potatoes also won't be as crispy in texture as au gratin. Both are golden brown and creamy, but if it's crispiness and crunchiness you're after, au gratin will probably be your best bet. Either one is sure to be a hit with your dinner guests, but it just depends on what sort of vibe you're going for!

I don't recommend soaking the potatoes in water ahead of time for our potatoes au gratin (as some recipes call for). Soaking them will cause them to lose some of their starch, which helps to keep this dish creamy.

Red potatoes are great for roasting, cooking in soups, or boiling or steaming for potato salad. The waxy nature of the flesh means they'll maintain their shape, but it also means they will get gluey when overworked, so you'll want to choose a different potato for mashing.

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes. Cold water is used because hot water would react with the starch activating it, making it harder to separate from the potatoes.

Do I have to boil potatoes before roasting? Not necessary but this can help get the perfect consistency and crispiness. Make sure you boil them but leave them a bit al dente and they will crisp up perfectly in the oven.

Some potatoes, like Yukon Gold, have more water in them. Try letting the dish rest for 10 minutes or so to let the water get absorbed and let the sauce thicken. Try cooking your recipe longer. Try uncovering the dish in the oven for the last 10 minutes or so.

The phrase au gratin literally means "by grating" in French, or "with a crust," from the verb gratter, "to scrape, scratch, or grate."

The curdling is caused by high heat, which is hard to avoid in an oven. So to keep the sauce together, tackle it before the dish goes in the oven. Instead of simply layering grated cheese and milk or cream with the potatoes, you need to make a smooth cheese sauce.

The starch in potatoes is held together by pectin. When that pectin breaks down too quickly in the boiling process, mushy potatoes result. Adding vinegar to the water fixes that problem because, as López-Alt explains, “pectin breaks down much more slowly in acidic environments.”

Why do you soak potatoes in milk? ›

A great way to enliven potatoes which have been stored since last year's harvest. The milk gives them a creamier texture and a little more body and richness. Peel the potatoes and slice them into pieces at least 1cm thick. Put them into a saucepan and cover with the milk.

The whole dish has a comforting cheesy flavor, but still feels elegant. Serve the gratin with beef such as London broil or even a simply roasted chicken for a classic meal.

All potatoes can fit into a healthy diet, but purple potatoes, red potatoes, and sweet potatoes—which are often grouped with potatoes—stand out due to their high amounts of protective plant compounds and essential nutrients.

Best type of potatoes for diabetes

Sweet potatoes are one of the best types of potato for people with diabetes, as they are low-GI and contain more fiber than white potatoes. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of calcium and vitamin A. Carisma potatoes, a variety of white potato, are another lower-GI option.

Boil, roast or bake a red potato, include some fresh herbs and seasonings, add fresh veggies, and it's still delicious and fat free. Naturally sodium free and high in potassium, red potatoes are a major contributor of maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

You want to use an oil with a mild flavour for your roasties. We prefer olive oil, but you can opt for vegetable, canola or grapeseed oils instead.

Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for 2 minutes – this will help the fat to stick to the potatoes. Give the colander a few light shakes to chuff up the edges of the potatoes, giving you maximum surface area for a crispy exterior as they roast.

Good popular choices include Maris Piper, Desiree and King Edward but availability varies with the time of year – as does size. For proper traditional roasties you only need to make sure you don't buy small waxy salad potatoes. Ideally the potatoes you start with should be roughly the same size.

Gordon Ramsay's Smashed Potatoes are made with baby potatoes, olive oil, herbs like rosemary or thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper this dish serves 8 and takes about 1 hour, including boiling and roasting for a crispy exterior.