Pommes Dauphinoise (Potatoes au Gratin)

For me, Easter provides a wonderful excuse to make a really big lunch for my family and friends, and my menu almost always hinges on roast leg of lamb, which is a traditional centerpiece for many Easter meals. This year, when planning out all of my side dishes, I was inspired by this foodpickle thread to revisit a classic from my cooking school days: pommes dauphinoise, which are also known as potatoes au gratin. I had to make this dish countless times over the course of my nine months while I was at Le Cordon Bleu in London, to the point that I could probably have made it in my sleep. It's simple but its charms are many, and I'm glad I've returned it to my table after all these years. Once you make it and give it a taste, you and your guests will soon see the appeal as well. Many people insist on using heavy cream when you're making any kind of gratin, but I'm loyal to the method my cooking instructors taught me, which is to use garlic-infused whole milk. With the cheese and the starch of the potatoes, the dish is by far rich enough for my tastes, and I find that the cream mutes the delicate flavor of the Gruyère and garlic. If you have a mandoline, then I recommend using it for this recipe when you're prepping the potatoes. The thinner and more evenly you slice your potatoes, the more delicate–and lovely–the finished gratin will be.