Instead of or in addition to garlic, this creamy potato gratin may be seasoned with thinly sliced onion or leek, grated cheese or crumbled blue cheese, among other ingredients.

potatoes  —  preferably waxy
garlic cloves
cream
butter
pepper
salt

Peel the potatoes and cut them into about ½ centimetre thick slices. You can soak or rinse the potatoes with cold water to remove some of their starch, especially if the potatoes you are using are more starchy than waxy. Let the potatoes drain.

Butter a shallow oven casserole dish. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them or press them through a garlic press.

Place alternate layers of potato slices, salt, pepper and garlic in the dish, starting and ending with a potato layer. You may add a layer of grated cheese on top of the dish.

Pour enough cream in the dish to almost reach, but not cover, the top potato layer. The dish should come out moist, but not soggy.

Dot the surface with knobs of butter and bake the dish at 175 °C for about 40 minutes, or until a knife can be easily inserted through the potato layers and the surface is nicely browned. Depending on the potato variety used, the baking time may vary greatly. Add some more cream during baking, if it seems that the dish is starting to dry out.

Serve the potatoes to accompany the Easter lamb, or other meat and fish dishes. Instead of one large dish, scalloped potatoes may also be baked in small individual ramekins.

Recipe source: family recipe.