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Potato gratin with bay leaves

This creamy potato gratin with aromatic bay leaves and gooey gruyere cheese is an essential side dish for a Christmas table or Sunday lunch.

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Serves 8
Takes 25 minutes to make, 1 hour-1 hour 10 minutes to cook, plus infusing and standing

This creamy potato gratin with aromatic bay leaves and gooey gruyere cheese is an essential side dish for a Christmas table or Sunday lunch.

Find more Christmas recipes and ideas in our special section..

Ingredients

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Preheat the oven to 180C/fan160C/gas 4. Heat the milk and cream together with the bay leaves, half the thyme and the nutmeg until just boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to infuse for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter together in a pan, then gently fry the onion until soft and starting to caramelise. Add the garlic and fry for a further minute, then remove from the heat.
Butter a 3 litre ovenproof dish and layer the potatoes with the onion, remaining thyme, parsley and most of the cheese. Strain the infused cream mixture into a jug, season and pour over the potatoes.

Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake for 60-70 minutes (depending on the depth of the dish) until golden. Cover with foil if the gratin browns too quickly on top. When done, the potatoes should be tender to the tip of a sharp knife. Stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition: per serving

Let the finished gratin cool, then wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a medium oven for 30 minutes. It will also keep covered in the fridge for 24 hours.