- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total time
- 90 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 740 kcal
Quick summary
“This comforting casserole intersperses soft potato slices with shredded smoked chicken and velvety bechamel sauce. The generous topping of Gruyère and parmesan cheese gratins until bubbling.”
What you need to know
- Quick pre-cooking of potatoes: boiling the slices for 5 minutes ensures they cook evenly inside the cream in the oven.
- Béchamel sauce perfumed with nutmeg: the roux cooked in butter with milk and cream provides a silky structure.
- Double cheese gratin: the mixture of Gruyère with parmesan produces a golden crust and elastic cheese.
Ingredients
Main
- g, shredded Smoked chicken breast fillets
- kg, cut into thin slices Asterix potatoes
- ml Fresh cream
- ml Whole milk
- g, grated Gruyère cheese
- g, grated Parmesan Cheese
- unit, finely chopped Cebola pequena
- dentes, amassados Garlic
- tablespoons Unsalted butter
- tablespoons All-purpose flour
- teaspoon Freshly grated nutmeg
- tablespoon, chopped Fresh thyme
- tablespoon, chopped Fresh parsley
- Sea salt
- Ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Principal
- Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, just to soften. Drain well. In simple terms, this ensures the potatoes cook evenly in the oven. Shred the smoked chicken into medium strips.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Incorporate the crushed garlic and cook for 1 more minute, releasing its aromas.
- Sprinkle the wheat flour over the sauté, stirring vigorously for 1 minute to form a roux. The short answer is: the roux will give the perfect consistency to the sauce. Add the whole milk little by little, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, until slightly thickened.
- Pour in the heavy cream, season with nutmeg, salt, black pepper, thyme, and parsley. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is creamy and flavorful. The secret to this recipe is a well-seasoned sauce.
- Grease a large baking dish with olive oil. Start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom. Interleave layers of sliced potatoes, shredded chicken, and sauce. Finish with a generous layer of potatoes and drizzle with the remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle the grated Gruyère and Parmesan cheese over the last layer of sauce. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, ensuring it does not touch the cheese. This helps with even cooking and prevents the cheese from burning.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes with the aluminum foil. Remove the paper and bake for another 30-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden and bubbling. The most important tip is to let it brown well.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This time is crucial for the liquids to settle, resulting in firmer and tastier slices. The professional technique is always to allow this rest.
Chef's tips
- Slice the potatoes into regular 3 mm rounds so they absorb the sauce without falling apart during layering.
- Shred the smoked chicken into medium strips so that its rustic texture and smoky flavor stand out in the gratin.
- Bake for the first 35 minutes with aluminum foil and remove in the final minutes to brown the cheese topping.
Variations
- Leek addition: sauté a sliced leek stalk in butter with the onion before sprinkling the wheat flour.
- Touch of fresh mushrooms: add 200 g of sliced golden Paris mushrooms to the skillet between the potato layers.
- Sweet potato gratin: substitute half of the Asterix potatoes with purple-skinned sweet potato sliced thinly.
Substitutions
- Smoked chicken: use well-shredded leftover rotisserie chicken or simply boiled chicken breast with paprika.
- Gruyère cheese: substitute with Swiss Emmental cheese, national Estepe cheese, or coarsely grated aged Prato cheese.
- Fresh heavy cream: use canned heavy cream with whey or fresh cream reducing 50 ml of whole milk.
How to store
Keep the gratin covered in its baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat while restoring the crispy cheese crust, bake in an oven preheated to 180 °C covered for 15 minutes.
Can it be frozen?
It is not advisable to freeze the finished gratin. The boiled sliced potatoes and the rich fresh heavy cream sauce break down in the freezer, becoming spongy and watery upon thawing.
What to serve with
Serve as a substantial single dish accompanied by a fresh salad of dark green leaves like arugula and watercress with citrus vinaigrette or steamed vegetables seasoned with olive oil.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use mozzarella cheese instead of Gruyère?
Yes, mozzarella brings excellent elasticity when melting, although Gruyère provides a much more complex buttery and nutty flavor to the dish.
How to prevent the gratin from having excess liquid?
Drain the pre-cooked potatoes completely and reduce the béchamel sauce until it forms a thick consistency before layering in the baking dish.
Why boil the sliced potatoes for only 5 minutes?
The pre-cooking breaks down the rigidity of the tuber without cooking it completely, ensuring they finish softening while immersed in the sauce in the oven.
Can the smoked chicken be substituted with cooked chicken?
Yes, simply season the cooked shredded chicken with a teaspoon of smoked paprika and black pepper to approximate the flavor notes.
You might also like
