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Sel la Vie Tomatoes and Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

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Sel la Vie Tomatoes and Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

Sel la Vie Tomatoes

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Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

Sel la Vie Tomatoes and Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

This last week has been a glorious late summer holiday, with my daughter visiting, and the weather in SW France being positively balmy with temperatures in the late 20’s and clear azure skies, it’s been like the late birthday gift you never expected, and we have embraced it with open arms. With that holiday feeling comes holiday dining and we have been enjoying eating outside every day, even in the evenings before the dew starts to fall…….it’s been warm but with a slight chill to the air after about 6pm, so what is needed is a light but comforting meal……enter my recipe for Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin, a variation of the classic Pommes Dauphinoise, a delectable baked potato dish with cream, garlic, herbs and cheese. This recipe is hearty enough for a cool late summer evening meal but is also light enough for a warm sunny luncheon too.

Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

My version has bacon added to it, making it more suitable as a main course dish and not an accompaniment – it makes a delightful meal when served with salad and crusty bread, or with fresh tomatoes and fougasse as I served it recently.  A classic French potato gratin is world-famous, and rightly so, and I have heard that the famous dish (Pommes Dauphinoise) was created as a way of encouraging the “Dauphin” (the young French prince destined to become King Henri II), to eat his vegetables, hence the name. That’s as maybe, but  it is  just as popular with adults as it is with children.  A classic gratin makes a wonderful accompaniment for all sorts of roast meats, stews, casseroles and poultry, or as a stand-alone meal as my recipe is. In place of my usual fresh thyme, I decided to go “off piste” and use a wonderful melange of French herbs that was sent to me by Life of Spice – the Herbes de la Garrigue complimented the dish so well and I loved the addition of lavender.

Potato and Bacon Gratin

In addition to being sent this amazing herb mixture, I was also sent flavoured salts and spiced rub mixtures, including The Italian Job salt mix, Memphis Belle rub, Fifty Shades of Grey salt mix and Much Adobo About Nothing rub……all beautifully packaged in small tins with quirky names, they are a real inspiring selection of  herbs, salts and spices. It was the Sel la Vie that I used next in my tomatoes – I simply cut the cherry tomatoes in half and sprinkled some of the flavoured salt over them and voila, they were ready to serve. The salt is a mix of sea salt with rosemary and thyme and it was perfect with the fresh tomatoes……no oil or any dressing was needed. The Herbes de la Garrigue is a robust blend of Mediterranean herbs – sage, rosemary, basil, thyme, marjoram, mint, fennel, savoury, lavender and bay leaves and added a fabulous aromatic taste to the potato gratin.

Potato and Bacon Gratin

The recipe for my Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin is shared below, as for my Sel la Vie Tomatoes, all you need are fresh toms and some sea salt with herbs…..the recipe for my mini fougasse will follow later on, but in the meantime I have a fougasse recipe here: Three Cheese Fougasse. Have a great weekend, and why not have bash at making this gratin for a weekend family meal, that’s all for now, see you soon, Karen

Disclaimer: I received a collection of rubs, salts and herb mixtures from Life of Spice for review; all views and opinions are my own. 

Sel la Vie Tomatoes and Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin

Print recipe
Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin
Serves 6 to 8 servings
Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 35 minutes
Total time 1 hours, 5 minutes
Allergy Milk
Meal type Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion Barbecue, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving
Region French
By author Karen S Burns-Booth
A wonderful way to use leftover boiled (or baked) potatoes, although I do cook my potatoes specially for this dish. Meltingly soft and tasty, the potatoes cook in a garlic and herb infused creamy sauce with the added luxury of cheese and bacon; serve this gratin as main meal with salad and crusty bread.

Ingredients

  • 25g butter
  • 8 rashers streaky bacon, cut into pieces
  • 1.2kg potatoes, peeled and boiled (thinly sliced)
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 125g Gruyere cheese, grated (plus some extra for the topping)
  • sprig of thyme or a French style herb melange (I used Life of Spice HERBES DE LA GARRIGUE)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 300mls single cream or milk

Note

A wonderful way to use leftover boiled (or baked) potatoes, although I do cook my potatoes specially for this dish. Meltingly soft and tasty, the potatoes cook in a garlic and herb infused creamy sauce with the added luxury of cheese and bacon; serve this gratin as main meal with salad and crusty bread. Omit the bacon if serving vegetarians and serve some crispy cooked bacon on the side for the meat eaters.

Directions

Step 1 Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 5. Grease a large oven proof dish or a cast iron gratin/casserole dish with the butter.
Step 2 Fry the streaky bacon pieces until the are cooked and crispy.
Step 3 Layer the gratin or casserole dish with potatoes, garlic, bacon, cheese, herbs, salt and pepper. If using a dried herb mixture, you will only need about half a teaspoon. End with a layer of potatoes.
Step 4 Pour the cream or milk over the gratin and sprinkle with some more grated cheese.
Step 5 Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.
Step 6 Serve with salad and crusty bread.
Step 7 If using raw potatoes, cut them into very thin pieces and bake for 1 1/2 hours in a preheated oven 150C/300F/gas mark 2.

As I used Mediterranean herbs and spices in this recipe, I am entering this recipe into

Cooking with Herbs

Cooking with Herbs Lavender and Lovage

As well as Tea Time Treats where the theme is also Mediterranean!

Potato and Bacon Gratin

 

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Comments

  2. Dominic says

    oh my… that twice baked potato… i’m SO hungry, about to go out and eat Lobster and Champagne so i’ve not eaten all day… But what i’d do for a forkful of your glorious potatoes! xxx

    Reply

  6. Christina says

    What a fabulous idea to add bacon! But I just wonder why I didn’t think of that! 🙂 Lovely photos as always! Enjoy the end of summer, Karen…we have a long way to go before we get some cooler temps 🙁

    Reply

  11. Louisa Foti says

    Oh how delicious Karen, my favourite kind of potato dish. I adore dauphinoise but with bacon too, you’re on another level there, yes please! The flavoured salts sound very interesting too.

    Reply

  13. Glamorous Glutton says

    Love the Sel La Vie tomatoes, bet they were really fresh tasting and delicious. Potato Dauphinoise – both a luxury and a sin. All that delicious cream and cheese, perfect for a main course and so scrummy it has to be eaten not kept. Another one of your fab recipes to add to the pile. GG

    Reply

  14. Heidi Roberts says

    Some good looking summer comfort food. I do like quite a lot of salt and do try to use gourmet salt when possible.

    Reply

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