Truth be told, I could honestly eat this as a meal. I’m sure many of you will agree that there’s nothing wrong with creamy, cheesy potato comfort food. Fall and winter is the perfect season for this dish. Celery root (or celeriac) is easy to find. You may have seen it in the produce area of your supermarket and wondered what that ugly thing is (pic below). Trust me, celery root is a delicious combination with the potato; it just adds a nice, mild celery flavor.
This is a French style au gratin that is similar to scalloped potatoes. Both are baked in a milk/cream sauce, but the gratin always has some kind of cheese added. Gratin is not limited to being made with potatoes. One of my favorite fall and winter side dishes is my Butternut Squash and Sage Gratin that has a delicious crispy panko breadcrumb topping. My method is a little different from the traditional gratin method. I thicken the milk and add cheese before baking (basically making a cheese sauce). I find that this method avoids the curdling look that can happen from the high heat of the oven.
How to cut thin potatoes for gratin
A mandolin on the thinnest setting is the best way. A mandoline is a great chef slicing tool for slicing anything to uniform thickness. Note: A mandoline on the thinnest setting is best for this.
