I love a really good cheese sauce and I love dauphinois, so this is my way of bringing the two together!
The key is to evenly slice the potatoes and make sure they are not too thick. I finally invested in a mandolin and it's great for these sorts of dishes, as it makes it such a quick process.
I like to place a layer of the cheese sauce on the bottom of the ovenproof dish, to stop the potatoes sticking to the bottom.
Don't be tempted to add too many layers of potatoes or the bake will take longer to cook. I've found that 3 layers of potatoes works really well but do experiment.
And finally make sure you save some of those crispy bits for yourself!
Serves 3-4 as a main
2 large baking potatoes or similar
3-4 leeks
Seasoning
Breadcrumbs
Mature cheddar
For the cheese sauce
50g butter
5 tablespoons of plain flour
400ml milk
250g mature cheddar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of dried sage
Black pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
- Peel potatoes and then slice thinly (or use a mandolin). Place the potatoes in a bowl of cold salted water until you are ready to assemble the bake.
- Top and tail the leeks, then cut into 1cm slices.
Make the cheese sauce
- Grate the cheese.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat.
- Stir in the flour and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Now slowly add the milk, stirring all of the time.
- Once all of the milk has been added, use a whisk to ensure the sauce is lovely and smooth.
- Stir in the Dijon mustard and grate in a little nutmeg.
- Add the cheese and stir until it's melted into the sauce.
- Season with black pepper.
- Increase the heat slightly and stir for a few minutes until thickened. Set aside.
Assemble and bake
- Drain the potato slices and dry off with some kitchen roll.
- Spoon a thin layer of cheese sauce over the bottom of an ovenproof dish.
- Place a layer of the potatoes over the sauce, followed by a layer of the leeks. Season.
- Spoon sauce over the top, being careful not to dislodge the layers.
- Add another layer of potatoes, leeks, seasoning and sauce.
- Add one final layer of potatoes, then cover with sauce.
- Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and some grated cheddar.
- Place in the hot oven and cook for 60-75 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly, and a knife easily goes through the potato.
