Potato and parsley gratin

Serves: 10
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 ½ hours

This gratin was invented by chef Perla Servan-Schreiber’s painter friend, Michel Warren, who we lost all too early. He was multitalented, an exceptional human being, and his culinary creativity was unparalleled.

Ingredients

• 7 tbsp (3½ oz./100 g) salted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
• 4½ lb. (2 kg) waxy potatoes, such as Charlotte
• 2 bunches flat-leaf parsley
• 8 shallots
• 1⅔ cups (400 ml) heavy cream
• Salt and a generous amount of freshly ground good black pepper

To serve (optional)

• A green salad (see Notes)

Directions

1Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C/Gas mark 3) and grease two 8-in. (20-cm) deep soufflé dishes with butter.

2Peel the potatoes and slice them crosswise into very thin rounds.

3Place in a strainer, run very hot water over the potato slices, and then dry with a dish towel. Wash and dry the parsley and chop the leaves finely. Peel and roughly chop the shallots.

4Place a single layer of potato slices in the base of each soufflé dish—the layer should be thin, but don’t worry about making a pretty pattern. Sprinkle generously with shallots, parsley, salt, and pepper.

5Repeat the layers until you’ve filled the soufflé dishes. Season once more with salt and pepper and dot with the butter. Pour the cream over the top and cover with parchment paper. Bake for 1½ hours.

6Take the soufflé dishes to the table and serve at once with a simple green salad, if you wish. To serve, use a large spoon that will reach all the way to the bottom of the gratin, so guests can enjoy all the layers.

CHEF’S NOTES

• Whatever you serve it with—meat, poultry, or fish—this gratin is all your guests will remember after the meal is over. A simple green salad, such as arugula lightly dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and fleur de sel, is the only accompaniment needed.

Extracted from Enjoy: Recipes for Memorable Gatherings by Perla Servan-Schreiber (Flammarion, 2020).