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Gratin refers to a preparation of thinly sliced potatoes or another ingredient and a cream sauce topped with a crust of browned breadcrumbs and butter often sprinkled with grated cheese. A French gratin is prepared using a casserole with the sliced ingredients covered with Béchamel sauce or Mornay sauce, topped with buttered breadcrumbs and/ or grated cheese. The dish is then baked or broiled to form a golden crust and then served in its baking dish.

The term gratin is adapted from French cuisine and the name is from the French (language) word "gratter" meaning to "to scrape" as of the "scrapings" of bread or cheese. The technique predates the current name which did not appear in English until 1846 (OED, s.v. "gratin"; the French pronunciation, rather than "aw gratt'n", remains standard in English. The gratin signified the "upper crust" of Parisian society. Cooking au gratin is a technique rather than exclusively a preparation of potatoes (which is specifically a gratin dauphinois): anything that can be sliced thin, layered with a cream sauce and baked is material for a gratin: fennel, leeks, crabmeat, celeriac, aubergines.

Gratin is also used to refer to a fireproof dish or casserole used to prepare gratins. The foods prepared in this way are referred to as gratiné, from the transitive verb form of the word for crust.

Potato gratiné

Potatoes gratiné is one of the most common of gratins and is known by various names. In North America, the dish is referred to as scalloped potatoes. (Note that the term scalloped originally referred to a seafood dish rather than to a scallop) . In French-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as pommes de terre au gratin. Australians often refer to it simply as a potato bake. The dish may also be known as gratin dauphinois, pommes de terre dauphinoises or potatoes dauphinoises.

Potatoes and onions au gratin with anchovies are as traditional in Swedish cuisine as they are in French, where the dish is known as Janssons frestelse.

Gratin dauphinois

The name gratin dauphinois refers to the Dauphiné region of France, where this method of preparing potatoes is a specialty. The ingredients composing a typical gratin dauphinois are thinly sliced and layered potatoes, milk (and/or cream or creme fraiche), cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Eggs may sometimes be mixed with the milk/cream. Gratin savoyard is a variation found in the neighbouring region. Unlike gratin dauphinois, it is made without milk, cream or eggs. Instead, it consists of alternating layers of sliced potatoes and Beaufort cheese with bits of butter, and bouillon is poured over before baking.

See also

• Lyonnaise potatoes

References

1. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition definition from Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gratin
2. Gratin from Epicurious.com's Food Dictionary http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/search?query=gratin
3. Rombauer, Irma S. and Marion Rombauer Becker (1931 ) The Joy of Cooking, p 369. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill. ISBN 0-452-25665-8.
4. Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking I, 1961:154f "Gratin de pommes de terre aux anchois"
5. Larousse Gastronomique (2001)

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