Our potato crop was pretty decent this year, despite the hot weather and the fact that across our allotment site people were complaining about low yields. We’ve still got some left over, as well as onions and loads of sage. So this comforting dish was an ideal one for the cold winter nights. I served it as an accompaniment to roast pork, but it could easily be a frugal supper for two. This classic French potato gratin dish translates as “Potatoes in the Style of the Baker’s wife”. The story being that in the past, a French family would prepare these potatoes and then take them to the local boulangerie, the baker, to be cooked in the even heat of his oven, hence the name.

You will need
500g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (it’s work getting them really thin, so that the layers are deliciously delicate)
1 onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
Some fresh sage, leaves picked and finely sliced, some leaves left whole
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
200 ml vegetable stock
1 handful of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 knob butter

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Get an ovenproof dish and grease the bottom with a little of the butter. Place a layer of sliced potatoes over the base, then a layer of sliced onions, followed by a scattering of sliced sage and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Continue this layering until all the potato is used up, or you run out of room. You want to end with a layer of potato on top, which I overlapped around my dish to give a nice finish. Once you’ve completed the layers, pour your stock over the potatoes. Season the top layer with a little salt and pepper; then place a few whole sage leaves, some small dots of butter, and your Parmesan on top. Pop the dish on the highest shelf of the oven and cook for around an hour, until the top is crisp and golden and the potatoes cooked all the way through.

This post is an entry for #FluffyMarisPiper Linky Challenge sponsored by Potato Council. Learn more at bit.ly/18rWnaB