The small one, half the recipe here, from the other night.

A gratin of creamy, cheesy potato slices, baked in the oven until bubbling and brown on the edges, has always been a family favorite. And despite what you might think, it’s really easy, and even easier if you have a food processor. This recipe can certainly quailfy as pantry cooking, since potatoes store well, as do hard cheeses. We always keep several 8 ounce bricks of Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar in the fridge. While heavy cream doesn’t last forever, it can be frozen. When I don’t use an entire container of heavy cream, I freeze the rest in small containers, measured out and labeled. Although defrosted cream isn’t good for whipped cream, for something like this it works fine.

One of the things that makes it super easy is that I don’t even bother to peel the potatoes. Everything, including the skins, softens so there’s no difficulty when eating. If you prefer, by all means, peel the potatoes, but it’s not necessary. With the food processor, I like to use the shredding blade first for the cheese, move that to a bowl, and then use the slicing blade for the potatoes. If you don’t have a food processor, your can use a handheld or box grater for the cheese and a mandoline or even just a sharp knife for the potatoes. (But be careful with all these slicers — no one needs an ER visit!)

For the spices, I like to use quatre épices, French four spice (which is a combination of white pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg) as well as some additional nutmeg. If you don’t have French four spice, it will still be fine. You need not make your own French four spice combination, but just be sure to use pepper. (Confession – I don’t really measure the spices, but rather sprinkle some on each layer. I measured the other day, but please don’t feel compelled to be precise about this part of the recipe!)

The recipe below serves 4-6, but we halved it the other night for the two of us, using a small gratin dish, which worked fine.

Easiest Potato Gratin

Serves 4-6

8 ounces hard cheese, preferably Cheddar or a Swiss type like Gruyère
2-2½ pounds of russet or Yukon Gold potatoes (or similar type), scrubbed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon French four spice, or just use about ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a medium to large gratin dish or similar shallow baking dish with nonstick spray for easier clean up.

With the large shredding disc in your food processor, or using a handheld or box grater, shred the cheese and set aside. Switch to the slicing blade in your food processor, or use a mandoline or sharp knife, to slice the potatoes thinly, about ⅛-inch thick.

Spread about ⅓ of the potato slices overlapping to cover the bottom of the gratin dish. Sprinkle with about ⅓ of the salt, ⅓ of the French four spice, and ⅓ of the nutmeg. You don’t need to be precise with these measurements. If these spices are in a shaker container, you can just shake a small amount on top of the potatoes. Spread about ⅓ of the shredded cheese over the potatoes and spices, and pour about ⅓ of the heavy cream on top. Repeat two more times to make three identical layers, using up all the ingredients.

If your gratin dish is very full, you may want to place it on a foil-lined half sheet pan to prevent any drips from getting on the oven floor. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. You can check it with a thin knife or cake tester to make sure the potatoes are cooked through. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Any leftovers can be reheated the next day, either in the oven, or on a plate in the microwave. (Don’t put an enameled gratin dish in the microwave!) Some of the oils will separate, but it will still be very good!

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Easiest Potato Gratin