Carisma potatoes hold shape under long baking thanks to lower starch content, letting this gratin layer thin without turning mushy.
Creamy Carisma Potato Gratin
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our Creamy Carisma Potato Gratin! Layered with tender Carisma potatoes and smothered in a luscious blend of rich cream and gooey cheese, this dish is baked to perfection until it's irresistibly golden and bubbling. Perfect for cozy gatherings or a delightful family dinner, it's a cheesy masterpiece you won't want to miss!
Prep
20
min
Cook
70
min
Serves
8
people
Level
beginner
The Story
This dish traces back to 1788 Dauphiné, France, where peasant cooks stretched scarce dairy over humble potatoes to feed nobility and farmhands alike, but this version pinches Italy's parmesan-mozzarella double act and America's paprika-dusted diner instincts, creating a French-Italian-Yankee three-way that gratin purists in Grenoble would probably report to the authorities.
Regional Twist
Up in Lyon, they'd swap the mozzarella for Comté and add a splash of white wine to the cream mixture, arguing that mozzarella belongs nowhere near a proper Dauphinois gratin—though nobody's stopped the paprika from sneaking in regardless.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1.5-1.75 kg Carisma potatoes (3.31-3.86 lb)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(6)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted (28 g)
- Extra grated parmesan, mozzarella, or Gruyère for toppingoptional
- 1 cup thickened cream (240 ml)
- ½ cup milk (120 ml)
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese (120 ml)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (120 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (5 ml)
- Fresh rosemary to serveoptional
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional (180°C fan-forced). Grease a 28 × 18 cm baking dish.
- 2
Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the potatoes 1 mm thick.
- 3
In a large bowl, combine parmesan, mozzarella, cream, milk, melted butter, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and a generous pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Add the potato slices and gently toss to coat each slice thoroughly, separating any that are sticking together.
- 4
Arrange the potato slices vertically in the baking dish, packing them tightly together. Pour any remaining cream mixture evenly over the potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 50–55 minutes.
- 5
Remove the foil and sprinkle extra grated parmesan, mozzarella, or Gruyère over the top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, or until the top is golden, bubbling, and slightly crispy.
- 6
Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Slice Carisma potatoes to exactly 1mm thickness using a mandoline rather than a knife, since low-starch waxy varieties like Carisma need thin, uniform cuts to become tender within the 50-55 minute bake time.technique1mm thickness
- ✓Keep the foil on for the full initial 50-55 minutes because trapped steam at 200°C is what breaks down pectin in the potato cell walls; removing it too early lets moisture escape and leaves the interior slices undercooked and starchy.timing200°C, 50-55 minutes
- ✓Warm the cream and milk mixture to around 60°C before tossing with the potatoes so the fat in the cream begins coating the starch granules immediately, reducing the total time needed for the sauce to thicken and cling to the slices.ingredient60°C
- ✓Pack the potato slices vertically and tightly with no gaps, since loosely arranged slices create air pockets that cause uneven heat transfer and lead to dry, curled edges on exposed potatoes.technique
- ✓Let the gratin rest for the full 5 minutes before slicing because the cream sauce is still a loose emulsion at oven temperature and needs to cool slightly to re-thicken and set, preventing it from pooling out when cut.timing5 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
20
min
Cook
70
min
Serves
8
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Carisma potatoes hold shape under long baking thanks to lower starch content, letting this gratin layer thin without turning mushy.
Creamy Carisma Potato Gratin
Indulge in the ultimate comfort food with our Creamy Carisma Potato Gratin! Layered with tender Carisma potatoes and smothered in a luscious blend of rich cream and gooey cheese, this dish is baked to perfection until it's irresistibly golden and bubbling. Perfect for cozy gatherings or a delightful family dinner, it's a cheesy masterpiece you won't want to miss!
The Story
This dish traces back to 1788 Dauphiné, France, where peasant cooks stretched scarce dairy over humble potatoes to feed nobility and farmhands alike, but this version pinches Italy's parmesan-mozzarella double act and America's paprika-dusted diner instincts, creating a French-Italian-Yankee three-way that gratin purists in Grenoble would probably report to the authorities.
Regional Twist
Up in Lyon, they'd swap the mozzarella for Comté and add a splash of white wine to the cream mixture, arguing that mozzarella belongs nowhere near a proper Dauphinois gratin—though nobody's stopped the paprika from sneaking in regardless.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 8🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1.5-1.75 kg Carisma potatoes (3.31-3.86 lb)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(6)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted (28 g)
- Extra grated parmesan, mozzarella, or Gruyère for toppingoptional
- 1 cup thickened cream (240 ml)
- ½ cup milk (120 ml)
- ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese (120 ml)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (120 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(5)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (5 ml)
- Fresh rosemary to serveoptional
- Sea salt & cracked black pepper
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional (180°C fan-forced). Grease a 28 × 18 cm baking dish.
- 2
Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the potatoes 1 mm thick.
- 3
In a large bowl, combine parmesan, mozzarella, cream, milk, melted butter, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and a generous pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Add the potato slices and gently toss to coat each slice thoroughly, separating any that are sticking together.
- 4
Arrange the potato slices vertically in the baking dish, packing them tightly together. Pour any remaining cream mixture evenly over the potatoes. Cover with foil and bake for 50–55 minutes.
- 5
Remove the foil and sprinkle extra grated parmesan, mozzarella, or Gruyère over the top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 15–20 minutes, or until the top is golden, bubbling, and slightly crispy.
- 6
Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Slice Carisma potatoes to exactly 1mm thickness using a mandoline rather than a knife, since low-starch waxy varieties like Carisma need thin, uniform cuts to become tender within the 50-55 minute bake time.technique1mm thickness
- ✓Keep the foil on for the full initial 50-55 minutes because trapped steam at 200°C is what breaks down pectin in the potato cell walls; removing it too early lets moisture escape and leaves the interior slices undercooked and starchy.timing200°C, 50-55 minutes
- ✓Warm the cream and milk mixture to around 60°C before tossing with the potatoes so the fat in the cream begins coating the starch granules immediately, reducing the total time needed for the sauce to thicken and cling to the slices.ingredient60°C
- ✓Pack the potato slices vertically and tightly with no gaps, since loosely arranged slices create air pockets that cause uneven heat transfer and lead to dry, curled edges on exposed potatoes.technique
- ✓Let the gratin rest for the full 5 minutes before slicing because the cream sauce is still a loose emulsion at oven temperature and needs to cool slightly to re-thicken and set, preventing it from pooling out when cut.timing5 minutes