Although the name may suggest otherwise, French potatoes are a traditional Czech dish that is sure to win over the hearts of your family! The recipe is simple to make and delicious in its final form.
➜ What are French potatoes
French potatoes are the name given to a Czech dish that consists of layered potato slices with meat and eggs baked in the oven. The topping of grated cheese adds another layer of flavor to the dish. This potato gratin is served for lunch or dinner in the Czech Republic, usually with a pickle on the side of the plate.
The Czechs became particularly fond of French potatoes in the second half of the 20th century because the recipe is very variable and allows you to process a variety of leftovers from the fridge.
Czechs call French potato gratin "francouzske brambory." Here is how to pronounce the name:
Despite the name, the dish has nothing to do with France. In the second half of the 20th century, when former Czechoslovakia was ruled by the communist regime, the Czechs liked to give their food fancy names, geographically referring to other countries.
Similar cases to French potatoes include Hollander Schnitzel, Frankfurt Soup, or Russian Egg.
➜ Ingredients
To make French potato gratin from scratch, you will need the following:
- Potatoes; Ideally, you want waxy potatoes rather than floury ones. Waxy potatoes hold their shape better after cooking and do not tend to fall apart. If you are based in the USA, for example, the Gold Yukon variety is suitable.
- Diced ham; smoked, fully cooked
- Hard-bolied eggs; peeled and finely chopped, come between the potato layers
- Half and half; which is heavy cream mixed half and half with whole milk
- Fresh eggs; together with half and half creates a mixture that you pour over the potatoes when baking
- Frying oil; sunflower or Canola oil, both types have a neutral taste. I used classic pork lard, typical for Czech cuisine.
- Onion; onions will be fried together with diced ham
- Shredded cheese; semi-hard grated cow's milk cheese with a fat content of around 40 percent, such as Dutch Edam or Cheddar. An alternative is sliced mozzarella.
- Breadcrumbs; to dust the baking dish
- To taste: salt and ground black pepper
✅ You will find the exact ingredient amounts in the recipe card below, which you can also print out.
Equipment: The recipe works well for a gratin dish measuring about 14x7 inches (35x17.5 cm).
➜ How to make French gratin
STEP 1: Boil the potatoes in their skins until soft, then let them cool completely. I recommend cooking the potatoes the day before and letting them cool overnight. When completely cool, peel and slice into thin slices.
STEP 2: Hard-boil the eggs, remove the shell, and finely chop the inside with a knife.
STEP 3: Peel and finely chop the onion. Heat the lard or oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Fry the onions in the hot oil until golden brown, stirring frequently. Then add the diced ham, reduce the heat slightly, and fry for a further five minutes.
STEP 4: Grease a baking dish with a piece of lard or other solid fat and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. This step makes it easier to get the finished potato gratin out of the dish without it sticking to the sides.
STEP 5: Start stacking the potato layers in the prepared baking dish. Layer the sliced potatoes first (salt and pepper), then the fried ham and onion, and finally the chopped egg. Continue with another layer of potatoes (salt and pepper again), then a layer of ham and egg, and finish with sliced potatoes.
STEP 6: Heat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Place the dish of layered potatoes in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the half and half with the eggs. After 10 minutes, remove the potato dish and pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the potatoes.
TIP: This step may seem unnecessary, but it has its justification. The potatoes are preheated in the oven, and the milk and egg mixture doesn't all drip to the bottom of the dish but creates a smooth, creamy sauce throughout.
STEP 7: Spread the grated cheese evenly over the surface.
STEP 8: Return the potato dish to the oven and bake until golden on top. This takes about 30 minutes.
➜ Serving
Let the finished potato gratin cool for a while, then cut into pieces or scoop them with a spoon and serve as a delicious lunch or dinner.
The dish goes well with pickled cucumber. For a nicer presentation, sprinkle the dish with chopped greens, such as parsley or fresh thyme.
➜ Storage
If you have leftovers, let the dish cool completely and then refrigerate. Here, it will keep for about four days.
Potato gratin is not suitable for freezing, as the potatoes take on a mushy consistency when thawed.
➜ Useful tips
- The more the potato gratin cools, the stiffer it gets and the better it holds together. So don't worry if a hot dish doesn't keep its shape - it's perfectly normal!
- Instead of ham, you can use sausage, salami, or smoked meat; there are no limits to your imagination. If you like garlic, add one or two grated garlic cloves when preparing the dish.
- This French gratin is always made with precooked potatoes. If you wanted to use fresh potatoes, the time needed to soften them in the oven would change completely, and the dish would take on a different character.
More potato recipes:
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French Potato Gratin (Czech Francouzske brambory)
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes rather vaxy, e.g., Yukon Gold
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
- 9 ounces smoked ham diced
- 2 Tablespoons canola (or sunflower oil; I used lard)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 fresh eggs
- 3 ½ ounces grated cheese Cheddar, Edam, Mozzarella
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- salt
To prepare the baking dish:
- ½ Tablespoon solid fat to grease the baking dish
- 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs to sprinkle the baking dish
Instructions
- Boil 2 pounds potatoes in their skins until they are soft, then let them cool completely. I recommend cooking the potatoes the day before and letting them cool overnight. Once fully cooled, peel them and slice into thin pieces.
- Remove the shells from 2 hard-boiled eggs, and finely chop them with a knife.
- Peel and finely chop 1 medium onion. Heat 2 Tablespoons canola in a pan over medium-high heat. Fry the onions in the hot oil until golden brown, stirring frequently. Then add 9 ounces smoked ham (diced), reduce the heat slightly, and fry for a further two minutes.
- Grease a baking dish with ½ Tablespoon solid fat and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs. This step makes it easier to get the finished potato gratin out of the dish without it sticking to the sides.
- Start stacking the potato layers in the prepared baking dish. Layer the sliced potatoes first, season them with salt and ground pepper. Continue with the fried ham and onion, and finally the chopped egg. Go on with another layer of potatoes (salt and pepper again), then a layer of ham and egg, and finish with sliced potatoes, that you salt and pepper.
- Heat the oven to
350 °F. Place the dish of layered potatoes in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk 1 cup half and half with 2 fresh eggs. After 10 minutes, remove the potato dish and pour the milk and egg mixture evenly over the potatoes. - Spread 3 ½ ounces grated cheese evenly over the surface.
- Return the potato dish to the oven and bake until golden on top. This takes about 30 minutes.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes 4 portions.
- SERVING: Let the finished potato gratin cool for a while, then cut into pieces or scoop them with a spoon and serve as a delicious lunch or dinner.
- The dish goes well with pickled cucumber. For a nicer presentation, sprinkle the dish with chopped greens, such as parsley.
- STORAGE: If you have leftovers, let the dish cool completely and then refrigerate. Stored in the fridge, the gratin will keep for about four days. Potato gratin is not suitable for freezing, as the potatoes take on a mushy consistency when thawed.
- Instead of ham, you can use sausage, salami, or smoked meat; there are no limits to your imagination. If you like garlic, add one or two grated garlic cloves when preparing the dish.
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