Whether or not the traditional French dish, Pommes Dauphinoise, also called Potatoes au Gratin, should be made with cheese is a subject cooks have debated forever. Some use milk and a hard grating cheese such as Gruyere, but I think that if you use all heavy cream and no cheese, and cook the dish long enough to reduce the cream, you'll get a rich flavor that actually tastes like cheese. Russet potatoes are best here because they're starchy but you can use golden potatoes. Slice them thinly on a mandoline or another hand-held slicer (or with a chef's knife, which will take longer). You will see other recipes that call for simmering the potatoes first in cream or milk, but no matter how careful you are, the partially cooked potatoes break when you transfer them to the baking dish. To keep the potato slices intact, heat the cream by itself, and pour it over the potatoes, which are layered only with salt, pepper, and a little garlic. The important part is to bake the gratin long enough. If the potatoes are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, they're not quite ready. Send the dish back to the oven for 15 minutes more. If the top isn't golden brown, again, back to the oven. Make sure the dish is on a rimmed baking sheet because the cream bubbles up and over. Pommes Dauphinoise should be so tender and creamy and delicious that you swoon.

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Generously butter a deep 2-quart baking dish (about 12-inches). Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a heavy-based saucepan, heat the cream until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Immediately remove it from the heat.

3. Drain and dry the potatoes. On a mandoline or other hand-held slicing machine, slice the potatoes as thinly as you can (1/8-inch is ideal). You can also do this by hand with a large chef's knife.

4. Lay 1/3 of the potatoes in the dish, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and half the garlic. Ladle 1/3 of the cream into the dish. Make another layer of potatoes with salt, pepper, and the remaining garlic. Ladle 1/3 of the cream on top. Add the top layer of potatoes and the remaining cream.

5. Set the dish on the parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake the dish for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when tested with a knife. If the top of the potatoes isn't brown enough, turn the oven to 450 degrees and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden. (Total baking time is 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes.)

6. Let the potatoes sit in a warm place to settle for 10 minutes before serving.

Whether or not the traditional French dish, Pommes Dauphinoise, also called Potatoes au Gratin, should be made with cheese is a subject cooks have debated forever. Some use milk and a hard grating cheese such as Gruyere, but I think that if you use all heavy cream and no cheese, and cook the dish long enough to reduce the cream, you'll get a rich flavor that actually tastes like cheese. Russet potatoes are best here because they're starchy but you can use golden potatoes. Slice them thinly on a mandoline or another hand-held slicer (or with a chef's knife, which will take longer). You will see other recipes that call for simmering the potatoes first in cream or milk, but no matter how careful you are, the partially cooked potatoes break when you transfer them to the baking dish. To keep the potato slices intact, heat the cream by itself, and pour it over the potatoes, which are layered only with salt, pepper, and a little garlic. The important part is to bake the gratin long enough. If the potatoes are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, they're not quite ready. Send the dish back to the oven for 15 minutes more. If the top isn't golden brown, again, back to the oven. Make sure the dish is on a rimmed baking sheet because the cream bubbles up and over. Pommes Dauphinoise should be so tender and creamy and delicious that you swoon.

Butter (for the dish)3cups heavy cream or 2 cups cream and 1 cup whole milk4large russet potatoes, peeled and left in cold water Salt and pepper, to taste1clove garlic, grated

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Generously butter a deep 2-quart baking dish (about 12-inches). Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet. Line the sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a heavy-based saucepan, heat the cream until it just starts to bubble at the edges. Immediately remove it from the heat.

3. Drain and dry the potatoes. On a mandoline or other hand-held slicing machine, slice the potatoes as thinly as you can (1/8-inch is ideal). You can also do this by hand with a large chef's knife.

4. Lay 1/3 of the potatoes in the dish, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and half the garlic. Ladle 1/3 of the cream into the dish. Make another layer of potatoes with salt, pepper, and the remaining garlic. Ladle 1/3 of the cream on top. Add the top layer of potatoes and the remaining cream.

5. Set the dish on the parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake the dish for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when tested with a knife. If the top of the potatoes isn't brown enough, turn the oven to 450 degrees and continue baking for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden. (Total baking time is 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes.)

6. Let the potatoes sit in a warm place to settle for 10 minutes before serving.Sheryl Julian

Sheryl Julian can be reached at sheryl.julian@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @sheryljulian.

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