# Dauphinoise Potatoes



## Gravy Queen (May 16, 2012)

Do you favour waxy or floury for this receep?


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## Andy M. (May 16, 2012)

They would have to be waxy as a floury potato would fall apart.


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## Gravy Queen (May 16, 2012)

Thanks Andy, see I'm reading conflicting recipes and cant remember for the life of me how I made them last time (short attention span!).


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## CWS4322 (May 16, 2012)

There is a trick for testing potatoes for starchiness:


Steven and Chris | Quick Kitchen Tips: Potatoes

It is tip #2.


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## Steve Kroll (May 16, 2012)

I have to disagree about the type of potatoes. I've made this dish often and only use starchy potatoes for Dauphinoise. Russets work perfectly. This is one recipe where you actually want the starch, as it contributes to the overall creaminess.

This recipe looks like just what the doctor ordered.
BBC - Food - Recipes : Dauphinoise potatoes


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## Gravy Queen (May 16, 2012)

Hmmm I am leaning towards floury, I think would like them to be more soft and yielding..


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## Bacardi1 (May 16, 2012)

I DEFINITELY vote for waxy potatoes for casseroles, gratins, scallops, etc., etc.  Either reds, whites ("White Rose" is a favorite if you can find them), Yukon Golds, etc., etc.

Russets/Idahos, just in my opinion, don't become "creamy" - they turn into mashed potato mush.  Were never meant to be used this way.  I have well over 2 dozen recipes for various casseroled potatoes saved on my computer, & Lord only knows how many in cookbooks (just checked out a handful).  Not ONE doesn't call for waxy or "boiling" potatoes.

But all cooking is governed by personal taste.  Use "floury" potatoes if you must Gravy Queen - but do come back & tell us how you liked them in your recipe.


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## Steve Kroll (May 16, 2012)

Bacardi1 said:


> Not ONE doesn't call for waxy or "boiling" potatoes.


The one I linked above calls for Russets.

You could also use an "in between" potato, such as Yukon Gold. Anthony Bourdain's recipe calls for those.


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## Bacardi1 (May 16, 2012)

Okay - that's ONE for Russets - lol!

Like I said - not trying to start an argument, just saying that 99.9% vote for waxy potatoes. They soften, but retain their integrity & don't dissolve.

And again like I said - personal preference rules. I'm not saying don't use them, but the OP asked for preference, & the majority is for waxy.

Hopefully the OP will come back & say how she enjoyed using Russets in a casserole.


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## Andy M. (May 16, 2012)

GQ, I'd recommend you try one and see if it's as you remember.  If not, it wil still be delicious then switch to the other next time.  If yes, great!


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## Bolas De Fraile (May 16, 2012)

Bacardi I grow 7 varieties of pots here in the UK for different uses. Charlottes are the waxy salads I grow and I would not use them for bolangere or dauphinoise. Steve K IMO is correct. Gravy I grow cara for baking and topping the flavor and lack of fall will suit the dauphin  as would king eds, maris piper, desiree and roosters.


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## Harry Cobean (May 16, 2012)

Gravy Queen said:


> Do you favour waxy or floury for this receep?


roosters,mid way between waxy & floury & great flavour


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## Zhizara (May 16, 2012)

Okay, I'm totally confused.  What recipe?


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## Andy M. (May 16, 2012)

Zhizara said:


> Okay, I'm totally confused.  What recipe?



A recipe for the thread title dish. No actual recipe posted.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 16, 2012)

Zhizara said:


> Okay, I'm totally confused.  What recipe?





Steve Kroll said:


> I have to disagree about the type of potatoes. I've made this dish often and only use starchy potatoes for Dauphinoise. Russets work perfectly. This is one recipe where you actually want the starch, as it contributes to the overall creaminess.
> 
> This recipe looks like just what the doctor ordered.
> BBC - Food - Recipes : Dauphinoise potatoes



I'm with Steve on this one. The recipe is in many ways just a simplified version of my scalloped potatoes recipe which had its beginning in Rombauer & Becker's _Joy of Cooking_ cookbook.

Russets work perfectly in my recipe which is just a superset of the one referenced in Steve's post. You know when you have the recipe exactly right when it shows browning (see the recipe site).

Furthermore I don't skin my potatoes. By the time they've fully cooked the skins are as tender as the rest, and add flavor. Some may not like the rustic appearance of the skins but I do.


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## Zhizara (May 16, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> A recipe for the thread title dish. No actual recipe posted.



So, I'm still confused.  I've never heard of Dauphinoise.  Would somebody clue me in?  I must have missed something.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 16, 2012)

Zhizara I quoted Steve's post above for you, since his was the only actual recipe posted in the Topic. The link is BBC Food. It's probably a representative recipe.


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## Bolas De Fraile (May 17, 2012)

Zhiz.This is a pretty standard recipe using your russets,I grate some nutmeg in mine and I dont use a bain-marie as I like a nice chewy bottom.
ieat learns to make dauphinoise potatoes - YouTube


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## Zhizara (May 17, 2012)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> Zhiz.This is a pretty standard recipe using your russets,I grate some nutmeg in mine and I dont use a bain-marie as I like a nice chewy bottom.
> ieat learns to make dauphinoise potatoes - YouTube



Really? Bolas!


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## Zhizara (May 17, 2012)

Thanks, Andy & Greg.  It was confusing that everyone seemed to know about it, yet I had never heard of it.

I've got a bunch of little red potatoes I need to use up.  Hmmmm.


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## Bacardi1 (May 17, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> Furthermore I don't skin my potatoes. By the time they've fully cooked the skins are as tender as the rest, and add flavor. Some may not like the rustic appearance of the skins but I do.


 
I'm another one who never peels WAXY potatoes, regardless of what the recipe says, because the skins are extremely thin, tender, & tasty.  I do, however, always peel Russets, because the skin - while also tasty - is thicker & tougher, even after cooking.


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## Gravy Queen (May 17, 2012)

I'm the same Bacardi, I dont peel waxy potatoes either. 

Well, I'm going to experiment, I have ordered some King Eddies potatoes to try first (they are floury). 

Harry - thanks for the tip re Roosters .


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## Steve Kroll (May 17, 2012)

Zhizara said:


> So, I'm still confused.  I've never heard of Dauphinoise.  Would somebody clue me in?  I must have missed something.


Pommes Dauphinoise is basically the French equivalent of Scalloped Potatoes. The difference is that Dauphinoise is made with cream, rather than milk and flour. Some versions have cheese. Others don't. Either way, it's a dish worthy of a dinner party.

I like to make it in a brownie pan and bake it twice. The night before I plan to serve it, I bake it covered until the potatoes are just barely done. Then leave it overnight in the fridge. This helps the whole thing firm up and gives the flavors time to meld. Then I bake it again the next day, this time uncovered, to let everything brown and crisp up. When I serve it, I cut it into squares (like a bar cookie).


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## taxlady (May 17, 2012)

Steve Kroll said:


> Pommes Dauphinoise is basically the French equivalent of Scalloped Potatoes. The difference is that Dauphinoise is made with cream, rather than milk and flour. Some versions have cheese. Others don't. Either way, it's a dish worthy of a dinner party.
> ...


That explains it. I always wondered why I detest scalloped potatoes and I like Dauphinoise and Danish cream potatoes.


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## CWS4322 (May 17, 2012)

taxlady said:


> That explains it. I always wondered why I detest scalloped potatoes and I like Dauphinoise and Danish cream potatoes.


Oops--I always make my scalloped potatoes with cream...because I make them as if I were making Janssen's Temptation http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f17/tnt-stand-by-foods-72932.html.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

I make my scalloped potatoes with cream too, no flour either. Biggest difference with the recipe posted earlier is that I add a few thinly sliced onions and grated cheese, in thin layers, and some fresh parsley. But that's creamy cheesy scalloped potatoes then.


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## Andy M. (May 17, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> I make my scalloped potatoes with cream too, no flour either. Biggest difference with the recipe posted earlier is that I add a few thinly sliced onions and grated cheese, in thin layers, and some fresh parsley. But that's creamy cheesy scalloped potatoes then.




Yes.  Tastier with onion and cheese.  Now you can call them Dauphinoise Especial to make them sound more elegant.


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## taxlady (May 17, 2012)

Andy M. said:


> Yes.  Tastier with onion and cheese.  Now you can call them Dauphinoise Especial to make them sound more elegant.


+1

(But I think it would be Dauphinoise Spéciale.)


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## Andy M. (May 17, 2012)

taxlady said:


> +1
> 
> (But I think it would be Dauphinoise Spéciale.)




Could be, I don't speak Canadian.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

I call it scalloped potatoes because that's what Rombauer and Becker called it.

Does it taste any better or any fancier when you Dauphinoise it?


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## Steve Kroll (May 17, 2012)

My mother's "scalloped potatoes" was nothing to write home about. It was thick slices of potatoes with a greasy, gloppy sauce made of milk, butter, and flour. There were usually inedible lumps of flour in it. I loved my mom, but I hated her potato dish. Even Rombauer and Becker's recipe has flour in it. So I think it's maybe the flour I don't like. 

To be fair, regardless of what you call it, this isn't a dish I could eat weekly... or even monthly. I tend to avoid recipes that call for any more than a half cup of cream in the ingredient list. But every once in awhile, you just have to indulge.


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## Gravy Queen (May 17, 2012)

Thats it Steve, its more of a once in a while treat dish really, its ages since I had it. 

In our chippies (chip shops) we used to be able to buy Scallops - which was thinly sliced potatoes in batter. Smashing.  No idea if they still do them as I never go to the chippy these days!


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## Zhizara (May 17, 2012)

I'm going to try this, but with the changes I'll make, it won't be Dauphinoise.  I can't pronounce that anyway!

I've got a bunch of little red potatoes, evaporated milk, and plenty of garlic.  Also, I can't imagine making this without onions, so I'll use my slicer thingy to alternate slices of potatoes with onions.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

Steve Kroll said:


> Even Rombauer and Becker's recipe has flour in it. So I think it's maybe the flour I don't like.



Sorry to disagree, I was updating my own recipe putting it in print a few months ago and I researched Rombauer & Becker's scalloped potato recipe and compared it to mine. Neither uses flour. I can't even imagine what purpose flour would serve in scalloped potatoes.

However I know right now that my recipe uses too much cream for your tastes, although I use 50:50 cream:milk.


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## no mayonnaise (May 17, 2012)

Starchy!  I'm not sure why on earth you'd use a waxy potato when Pommes Dauphinoise uses mashed potatoes which are usually made with starchy potatoes.

EDIT:  Whoops I totally got Pommes Dauphinoise and Pommes Dauphine mixed up for a minute!  

For Dauphinoise use WAXY
For Dauphine use STARCHY


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## taxlady (May 17, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> Sorry to disagree, I was updating my own recipe putting it in print a few months ago and I researched Rombauer & Becker's scalloped potato recipe and compared it to mine. Neither uses flour. I can't even imagine what purpose flour would serve in scalloped potatoes.
> 
> However I know right now that my recipe uses too much cream for your tastes, although I use 50:50 cream:milk.


Which edition of _Joy of Cooking_ are you looking in Greg? My 1975 edition lists two recipes for scalloped potatoes. One uses flour and the other uses condensed mushroom or celery soup.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

Well I guess if I really want the answer I'll have to do some research. I've owned at least three editions of _Joy of Cooking_, and my latest is a really nice recent edition--except it's with all the rest of my cookbooks in storage. The book I looked at several weeks ago was at the public library (because it was easier than getting to my own copy) and I don't recall which edition. So maybe the best answer would be I don't know. _Joy of Cooking_ was my main cookbook for a couple of decades, along with the _Sunset_ cookbooks which probably many people remember. And then they invented the Internet...

The recipe I'm referring to definitely didn't have any canned soup. I'm just curious. What would be the reason for anybody adding flour to scalloped potatoes?


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## Andy M. (May 17, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> ...I'm just curious. What would be the reason for anybody adding flour to scalloped potatoes?




As a thickener.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

But... But... But... My recipe (very similar to _Joy of Cooking_) already has nice, thick, creamy, cheesy sauce. Get it right and the sauce is thick and the tops are nicely browned. There's no need for flour, just the right amount of liquid at the beginning and the right amount of cooking does it all.

But of course, accepting reality, some people may think it needs flour.


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## Andy M. (May 17, 2012)

I think part of the logic was that a white sauce wasn't as fattening as heavy cream and butter.


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## PrincessFiona60 (May 17, 2012)

Cheese in potatoes is Au Gratin.  White sauce is for scalloped potatoes.  Once you add the cheese you will have Potatoes Au Gratin.  Or as we called it when we were little kids Potatoes All Rotten!  Yum!!!   Our favorite.


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## Greg Who Cooks (May 17, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Or as we called it when we were little kids Potatoes All Rotten!


Me 3!


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