supercilious potato gratin

My dear girl and I love concluding  our day with a story.  If she had her way it would be Andy Griffiths, but alas she is content to listen to me read from the Classics.  Lately we’ve been re-reading Oscar Wilde.  Our absolute favourite is the Remarkable Rocket.  For those of you unacquainted with this literary gem, it’s about a very proud rocket  who boasts about his noble heritage and how remarkable he is to his fellow pyrotechnic companions such as the Catherine Wheel and the Roman Candle, amongst others.  He was to be ignited on the occasion of a much –heralded Royal Wedding as part of the magnificent finale, akin to watching the aurora borealis as the King commented.

However he became damp and came to a rather unremarkable end, in a mud pit in broad daylight.  Despite this ignominy, his last gasp was “I knew I would create a sensation!”  I love how he shielded himself from the harsh reality of his existence (and his demise) with his protracted delusional state.  My daughter just loves the word ‘supercilious” which features a number of times in the story and has taken to calling a number of her peers as supercilious.  I guarantee you will feel supercilious for creating something so delicious, so comforting with minimal effort.  ….Serves 6 as a side dish.

800g potatoes (sliced to 1.5cm using a mandoline)

300ml cream

50g butter

1 leek sliced very thinly also

4 peppercorns

1 fresh bay leaf

4 garlic cloves peeled and chopped

½ cup coarsely grated parmesan

Freshly grated nutmeg

 Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Heat cream in saucepan with all the peppercorns, bay and garlic till boils then lower temp and simmer for a further 5 mins.  Cool in saucepan then strain and remove the flavourings.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the potatoes, leeks and infused cream with your hands.  Place in a greased roasting tin and dot with bits of butter.  And bake covered with foil for about 45 mins till potatoes are tender.  Remove foil, turn up the heat to 200 degrees and scatter over the parmesan and grated nutmeg.  Return to oven and cook for  further 15 mins till golden and brown on the top.