Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (166 page)

A heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan (no-stick recommended)

1½ Tb flour

A wooden spoon and a wire whip

1½ cups milk heated in a small saucepan

¾ cup heavy cream; more cream (or milk) if needed

About 1 Tb fresh minced basil; or ½ tsp fragrant dried basil (or oregano)

1 to 2 large cloves of mashed garlic

½ tsp salt

Big pinch of white pepper

A cover for the pan

Make a white
roux
as follows: Melt the butter in the saucepan, blend in the flour, and stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes to cook the flour without browning. Remove from heat, and when
roux
has stopped bubbling, vigorously blend in all of the hot milk at once with your wire whip, beating until mixture is perfectly smooth. Blend in the ¾ cup of cream, the
herb, garlic, salt, and pepper. Return over moderately high heat, stirring with whip as sauce thickens very lightly and comes to the boil. Simmer 2 minutes, then fold in the potatoes. Sauce should just cover potatoes; add a little more cream or milk if necessary. Bring to simmer, correct seasoning, cover pan, and simmer very slowly for 10 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Stir up gently from bottom once or twice to be sure potatoes are not sticking; they will have absorbed half of the liquid before they are done and if sauce seems too thick you may always add a little more milk.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: May be completed in advance to this point. Spoon a little milk or cream over top of potatoes and either set aside uncovered or keep warm, partially covered, in a pan of simmering water.

2 to 4 Tb soft butter

2 to 3 Tb fresh minced basil and parsley, or parsley only

A warm, lighdy buttered vegetable dish

Reheat potatoes just before serving. Carefully correct seasoning. Gently fold in the butter and ⅔ of the herbs with a rubber spatula. Turn into vegetable dish, decorate with the remaining herbs, and serve at once.

A different herb—Tarragon

The preceding potatoes are delicious with tarragon rather than basil, a good solution for wintertime, since dried tarragon is usually far more fragrant than dried basil.

GRATIN DAUPHINOIS AUX ENDIVES

[Gratin of Sliced Potatoes and Endives]

Both endives and potatoes go beautifully with chicken or veal, and here they are combined into one dish. For each cup of sliced raw potatoes you will need 2 cups of sliced raw Belgian endives. The natural moisture in the endives provides enough liquid for the potatoes, while the butter, lemon juice, shallots, and cheese that bake along with them contribute delicious additional flavors.

For 8 people—baking time about 1¼ hours

2½ lbs. very fresh, white, firm Belgian endive with leaves tightly closed at the tips

1¼ lbs. “boiling” potatoes

2 Tb soft butter

A 3½- to 4-quart baking dish about 2½ inches deep (such as a 12-inch round one, or an 11- by 16-inch oval)

1 Tb lemon juice

½ cup melted butter

Salt and white pepper

⅔ cup coarsely grated Swiss cheese

¼ cup finely minced shallots or scallions

Buttered waxed paper

A cover for the dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim root ends, and wash endives rapidly under cold running water. Slice cross-wise
into pieces ¾ inch thick and set aside. You should have 8 cups. Wash and peel potatoes, cut into slices ¼ inch thick and about 1¼ inches in diameter. You should have 4 cups. Smear the butter in the baking dish and arrange in it half the sliced endives. Sprinkle with half the lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and spread on half the cheese. Over this arrange the 4 cups of potatoes in layers, sprinkling each with salt and pepper, a little of the butter, and the minced shallots or scallions. Spread the rest of the endives over the potatoes, seasoning them with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter. Omit the cheese, reserving for later.

Lay the buttered waxed paper over the endives, cover the dish, and bake in middle level of 400-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can hear the contents bubbling. Turn oven down to 350 or even 325 degrees for the rest of the baking, regulating heat so that vegetables simmer slowly throughout the rest of the cooking, which will be 1 to 1¼ hours. When potatoes are tender if pierced with a fork, remove dish from oven, and reset thermostat to 425 degrees. Spread remaining ⅓ cup of cheese over the vegetables and dribble on the remaining butter.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTE
: Dish may be completed an hour or so in advance up to this point. Set partially uncovered in a 100- to 120-degree warming oven, or over a pan of almost simmering water. As long as potatoes are warm and have a little ventilation, they will not lose their fresh-tasting quality.

About 15 minutes before serving, set dish uncovered in upper third of preheated 425-degree oven until contents are bubbling hot and cheese topping has browned lightly.

POMMES DE TERRE SAUTÉES, CALABRAISE

[Sliced Potatoes Sautéed with Lemon and Garlic]

This excellent, crusty sauté of potatoes needs to be done in a large non-sticking pan where the potatoes have room to toss, turn, and crust. Serve them with eggs, sausages, pork chops, broiled chicken, steaks, or fish.

For 6 servings

2 lbs. “boiling” potatoes all of a size for even slices

A large saucepan with just enough boiling salted water to cover potatoes

Olive oil (or 3 Tb butter and 2 or more Tb olive oil or cooking oil)

A large (11-inch) frying pan (no-stick recommended especially for this recipe)

The grated peel of ½ lemon

2 large cloves of garlic, mashed

Big pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes, cut into slices ¼ inch thick and 1¼ inches in diameter (or cut into ½-inch dice, if you prefer);
you should have 6 to 7 cups. Drop into boiling, salted water, and boil about 5 minutes, or until barely tender. (Eat a piece to check; do not overcook.) Drain thoroughly. Film frying pan with a ⅛-inch layer of oil (or butter and oil), set over moderately high heat, and when very hot but not smoking add enough potatoes to make 1 full layer. Toss and turn frequently for several minutes, shaking and swirling the pan by its handle, until potatoes are beginning to brown lightly. Add some more potatoes, and continue to toss them in the pan until the new addition is beginning to brown. If necessary, add a little more oil and continue with more potatoes; however, about ¾ inch of potatoes will be the maximum you can handle in the pan.