Gratin Dauphinois (a French Potato Side Dish) and Meeting a Culinary Idol: Anne Willan

Gratin Dauphinois is a classic French potato side dish that is incredibly easy to make. I bet it will become a family favorite in your home.

Last October, I met Anne Willan.

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I don’t know how many of you can relate to what it was like for me to meet Chef Anne Willan, but imagine being able to meet one of your long time favorite celebrities: I was over the moon! Use the jump to recipe button for the Gratin Dauphinois recipe.

I own four of Anne Willan’s cookbooks, and had just bought her latest memoir, One Soufflé at a Time; when I met her she was kind enough to sign all five of my books!

If you’re looking for an interesting life story, peppered with recipes which will make you want to run to your kitchen to start cooking, then you need to get your hands on this book! Anne Willan has lived one of the most fascinating lives, and it was just so captivating to read about her adventures, explorations and discoveries.

A Julia Child Favorite: Classic French Onion Soup

Although she was born, raised and educated in England, Anne became one of the top authorities in French cooking, opening La Varenne cooking school in France, and becoming one of the most noted chefs the world has known. Did I fail to mention she was good friends with Julia Child?

At the book signing, I also met award winning food columnist and cookbook authors Faye and Yakir Levy, who are such a lovely couple! My friend, Lana, of Bibberche was there, as well as my good friend, Cynthia who writes at What a Girl Eats.

Here’s a classic French recipe for madeleines!

With my pal, Cynthia from What a Girl Eats (and no, we didn’t discuss what we were wearing!)

You’ll have noticed that I post lots of step by step photos in all of my recipe posts, here on my blog, and Anne Willan is the reason I do so. In her series of PERFECT cookbooks, she has so many beautiful and instructional photos, which I love to see when cooking or baking from a recipe, that I decided that when it comes to photos, that “less is not more”.

I have been advised not to fill my blog with lots of photos, but I disagree, and will continue to plaster my posts with photos, because I like it that way.

Given that Anne worked with, and was friends with Julia Child, here is Julia’s recipe for Gratin Dauphinois.

A special thank you to Denise Vivaldo for inviting me to meet Chef Anne Willan, and Patti Londre for graciously hosting the event.

Gratin Dauphinois

ever so slightly adapted from Julia Child’s recipe               serves 6-8

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

*Julia’s tips: thinly sliced potatoes and the dish (final product) shouldn’t be more than 2″ high

Preheat oven to 450F (230C)

Slice the potatoes into 1/8″ (or thinner) slices using a mandoline or a food processor. Put the potatoes into a large bowl of cold water.

Put the milk into a saucepan and heat until hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat and add a minced clove of garlic, the salt and stir.

If desired, add some freshly grated white pepper.

Now add the potato slices to the milk.

Dot the top with the butter.

Bake gratin until very hot and brown on top, about 35 to 45 minutes.

Serve while hot.

It’s so good with this lamb and red bell pepper butter sauce!

Only in LA…

Something I can check off my bucket list: I hiked up to the HOLLYWOOD sign today!

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