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Crispy bacon and sage dauphinoise with garlic and cream
Serves Serves 6-8 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled a little butter, for greasing
- 16 sage leaves
- 150ml full-fat milk
- 500ml double cream
- 1.7kg Désirée potatoes
- 14 thin smoked streaky bacon rashers
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 40g butter
- 24cm x 21cm x 5cm ovenproof dish
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/ Gas 6. Prepare the ovenproof dish by rubbing the base and sides with the garlic clove and smearing with a little butter to grease.
Put the garlic used for rubbing the dish and 4 sage leaves in a heavy-based saucepan with the milk and cream. Heat gently. When just hot, remove from the heat and leave to infuse for a few minutes. Remove the garlic and sage and discard.
Trim and peel the potatoes and slice them thinly using a mandolin or a very sharp knife. Add to the hot cream and milk mixture and simmer for 4 minutes. Strain over a bowl to catch the liquid. Season the potatoes well and toss to coat.
Fry all but 5 rashers of bacon in a pan with the oil until crisp, then snip into pieces with scissors. In the dish, layer the potatoes, cooked bacon and sage, reserving 6 leaves. Pour over the hot liquid, scatter with pepper and dot with butter.
Cover the dish tightly with tin foil and cook for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 160°C/320°F/Gas 3 and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. (Check the potatoes with a skewer after 1 hour – if they are tender, move onto the next step.)
Increase heat to 200°C/400°F/ Gas 6. Remove foil. Add the reserved, uncooked bacon rashers and the remaining sage leaves on top. Cook for a further 10 minutes to brown the top.
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