Ingredients
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1 lb Potatoessliced 1/8" with a mandoline, or a very, very steady hand
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4 tablespoons Butter
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3/4 cup Heavy Cream
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3/4 cup Sour Creamcan substitute with Crème Fraîche
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1/4 cup Shallotpeeled and chopped
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To taste Salt and Pepper
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Just a Pinch or Two Fresh Nutmeg
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1/2 cup shredded Chedder CheeseCan substitute another cheese that melts nicely, like Gruyere.
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Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Directions
I am, without question, a foodie. I love all kinds of foods, I’m willing to try almost anything… once. But there is one food that is my Achilles Heel, one food that I crave.. potatoes. The potato goes with everything. You can have potatoes at a fast food restaurant, or in a five star restaurant. It can be cold, hot, alone or with a bunch of sides. I love the crunch of a good chip, but I love the softness of a baked sweet potato, or in this case potatoes slathered in cheese, cream and butter cooked to utter, mouth watering perfection.
The special thing about this potato is that it will always been cooked to 100% perfection. Why? Because the potato is cooked via the Sous Vide before you add all the little extras that make this mouth watering. Before the ANOVA my success rate with Au Gratin potatoes was hit and miss at best. Don’t get me wrong, whatever was on the potatoes tasted fantastic, but the potatoes themselves were not always cooked all the way through, or better yet, some were cooked and some bites were ‘nearly’ cooked. Now I don’t have that issue.
You do not have to use cheddar cheese for this recipe. You can use whatever your favorite type of cheese you like. For this batch you’re looking at I used a cheese that was on sale (you can see the sale sticker on it if you look really hard). Something else you should take into account is that I rarely ever buy name brands. Everything, including the butter, is Kroger brand (in my neck of the woods we call that Frys). 
Buying expensive name brands doesn’t make your food taste better. It’s what you do with what you’ve got that can make or break your dinner table.
Steps
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1
Done
5 minutes
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Sous VideTurn your Sous Vide on, setting the temp to 180F. Clean your potatoes and then decide, skin on or off? If I'm using a red or yellow potato I'll leave the skin on, however if I'm using a Russet potato I'll remove the skins. Prepare your Mandoline setting the cutting size to 1/8 of an inch, then slice your potatoes being careful to use a flat hand (you don't want to remove a finger tip!). Put your sliced potatoes into a vacuum seal bag, add salt and pepper and a tablespoon or two of butter. Seal the bag closed and drop in the water, set the timer for a minimum of 60 minutes. At 60 minutes I'll pinch the potatoes while in the bag to make sure they're cooked through. If they're cooked through remove from hot water and set aside in bowl/sink or on a towel. *** NOTE: Do not pack the bag. If you are serving more than 2 or 3 people, divide the potatoes up between a few bags. |
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2
Done
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Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350FAdd whipping cream, sour cream (or Crème Fraîche), chopped shallots or onions, salt & pepper and most of your shredded cheese into a bowl. Mix it so that no lumps are left (except the cheese and onions). Spray your serving dish with non-stick spray and then carefully open your vacuum sealed cooked potatoes. Pour enough out in the pan to cover the bottom and then pour a ladle the cream/cheese mixture over the potatoes. Repeat the process until all the potatoes and cream have been used. |
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3
Done
15-20 minutes
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Wrapping it Up!Put the pan of Au Gratin potatoes into the oven for 15 minutes so that the cheese, cream and onions cook through. Add remaining cheese to the top and cook for another 5 minutes to let the cheese melt on the top. Remove from the oven and serve while warm. |
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I made these for Christmas Eve dinner & they were a huge hit! I loved them.