Ideal to use mashed potatoes leftovers, or if you want to make your purée as we say in French, decadent yet fancy. In a gratin dish, combine mashed potatoes with egg and cheese and grill.
The name of this recipe In French is “Mont Dore” or “Mont d’Or” which literally means “golden mount”. It comes from the fact that it goes up a bit like a soufflé and gets a very nice golden brown color once grilled in the oven. A French homecooking dish that is very easy to prepare and bake and that gives a very fancy twist to a simple dish.
This recipe is ideal when you want to use mashed potatoes leftovers, but can of course be done from scratch, cooking few potatoes, mashing them with a little bit of butter and milk. And then comes the fun and yummy part with, for 1 cup of mashed potato: 1 egg and 1 large handful of grated cheese, then in the oven for a few minutes until it gets a nice golden brown crispy color and texture.
Note that there is an absolutely delicious creamy French cheese called Mont d’Or that is often baked whole in the oven and eaten melted with potatoes. Even the French first think of this cheese rather than this gratin dish when they hear of Mont d’Or potatoes but be that as it may, this mashed potatoes casserole (purée de pommes de terre in French) is a must taste.
French Mashed Potatoes Gratin
Ingredients
250 gr mashed potatoes leftover or:
- 250 gr potato
- 1 large knob butter
- 100 ml milk warm
THE GRATIN PREPARATION
- 1 egg
- 50 gr cheese use grated cheese
- 1 knob butter
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Use 250 gr of mashed potatoes leftovers or make a from scratch by:
- Peel 250 gr of potatoes, cook them in a large volume of salted water and drain.
- Mash potatoes with a food mill or with a fork and combine them when still hot with a large knob of butter and warm milk. Adjust quantity of milk if necessary.
GRATIN
- Preheat the oven to 200 °C / 390°F.
- Combine 250 gr of mashed potatoes with 1 beaten egg and a large handful of grated cheese (i.e. about 50 gr). Season.
- Grease a small oven proof gratin dish with butter. Pour in the preparation and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.