Potato Gratin with Leeks and Shitake Mushrooms

I’ve never really made a gratin recipe. I may have tried a recipe years ago, only to find that when exact measurements weren’t followed it cooked into a big, gooey mess. Last night was a very different experience.

My husband and I had some friends over, as we’re like to do most Saturday nights. My husband was begging me to make beef short ribs. Over the last two years or so, I’ve come to master my own little short rib recipe and really love making something that seems so impressive to people (because it does take 3 hours or so), but is really so simple and forgiving.

Anyway, my husband wanted some potatoes on the side, and, alas, I have yet to master any great mashed potato recipes. Perhaps I’m a little shy because his entire family is Irish and always makes the BEST mashed potatoes, bursting with cream, butter and salt. Mine just don’t measure up. But I love gratin potatoes and have always wanted to find an easy recipe.

In walks Ina Garten. The Barefoot Contessa has a simple recipe for Potato Fennel Gratin from her first book, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. It’s so easy and pretty that folks will think you spent hours making something that took about five minutes of preparation, and 60-90 minutes in the oven. Well, you did spend just over an hour, but it was all hands off. The oven did all the work!

I made some slight modifications to the recipe. Instead of fennel (my husband hates that mild licorice taste), I quickly sauteed some leeks and shitake mushrooms, separately, in a little olive oil. I added them to the bowl of sliced potatoes (quickly done in my food processor with the slicing blade), cream, gruyere, salt and pepper. A quick mix and then a big pile/pour of the ingredients into my baking dish. Sixty minutes later, we had a beautiful, golden dish that nicely complimented the rich short ribs.