Potato gratin

Potato gratin is a simple dish can be made the day before and gently warmed, covered in a moderate oven or microwave, and served with Phil Vickery's traditional roast with a twist and Yorkshire puddings.

Serves 6-8 personsPreparation time: 20 minutesCooking time: about 40 – 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes, peeled, roughly600mls whipping cream, roughly6 cloves of garlic, very finely crushed2-3 tbsp creamed hot horseradishsaltground black pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 190°, gas 5

• Slice into thin slices about half centimetre thick, I use a Japanese mandolin

• Place the potatoes into a large saucepan cover with water and a couple of teaspoons of salt

• Cover and bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes, this helps to soften the vegetable, and gives a much nicer end result. Drain well.

• Carefully cover the bottom of a 20cm x 30cm x 5cm deep baking dish with slices of potato, overlapping quite generously

• Season well with salt and pepper

• Continue layering and seasoning until all the potato has been used up

• Bring the cream, horseradish and the garlic to the boil and then pour over the potato carefully

• Pour as much as you can in and the press gently down with a potato masher, not to firm though or the end dish will be dry and too compact

• Pop onto a tray then into the preheated oven and cook for about 40 minutes until well cooked, coloured and reduced

• Remove from the oven and keep warm, rest for 30 minutes

• Or cool quickly wrap in cling film and re heat the next day, in the microwave or moderate oven