Squeeze a clove of garlic and distribute it on the bottom of a fatted casserole dish. Add a layer of sliced potoatoes, then add some salt and pepper, beofre adding the next layer of potatoes etc. Pour a mix of 4 dl of milk, 1.5 dl of cream and half a teaspoon of salt over the sliced potatoes in the dish and add a bit of butter or margarine on top. Bake at 180° for 50 min.
ingredients: 600 - 800g potatoes, 2 tbsp butter or margarine, 1 clove of garlic, 4 dl milk, 3 dl cream, salt, pepper.
tools: oven (with the ability to heat from the top and from the bottom), casserole dish or casserole pan (300 – 600 cm2, heat resistant to at least 200°C, with a rim of at least 4 cm in height), mandoline (alternative: cutting board and a sharp knife), garlic press (optional), heat-resistant support on which to put the hot casserole when it comes out of the oven (e.g. trivet), pot-holder or oven glove.
Detailed instructions: Spread 1 tbsp of butter or margarine on the casserole dish so that its entire inner surface is covered with a thin film of fat. Squeeze a clove of garlic (with a garlic press; alternatively, after removig the brittle parts, cut the garlic into tiny pieces of <8mm3 ) and distribute the garlic on the bottom of the casserole dish. Wash the potatoes (hold them under running water while rubbing the surface with your fingers) if necessary (the wash step can be omitted if the potatoes appear clean, i.e. if their skin is smooth and no dirt particles stick to the skin) and peel them (using a vegetable peeler). Cut away any bad parts, if there remain any (zones where the potato itself is black or dark brown). Rinse the peeled potatoes briefly. Cut slices of 2 – 3 mm thickness, preferably using a mandoline (alternatively, slices can be cut on a cutting board using a sharp knife). Preheat the oven to 180°C. Start filling the casserole dish by placing a row of potato slices in the dish (one next to the other, flat on the botom, along one rim). Place the next row of slices so that each slice from the new row covers about one third of a slice from the previous row. Add additional rows (in the same way), until the bottom of the dish is covered. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper onto the potato slices in the dish. Then add more rows of slices in the same way as before until the first layer of slices is covered, and add some salt and pepper onto this second layer. Continue adding more rows and layers until all potato slices are used. In a separate vial, mix 4 dl milk, 1.5 dl cream and 0.5 teasp. of salt, then pour this mix over the potato slices in the casserole dish. Divide 1 tbsp. of butter or margarine into 5 pieces and put them on top of the dish. Bake the casserole at 180°C for 50 min. in the middle of the oven (that is, place the dish on a rack, baking tray or sheet pan that is positioned in the lower half of the oven, close the oven door, make sure temperature is set to env. 180°C and wait for 50 min.). Take the casserole out of the oven and place it on a heat-resistant support. Pour 1.5 dl of cream over the potato slices, put the casserole back to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 min. at 180°C.