How do I make a potato dauphinois that is not too liquidy

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Any foolproof recipes for one that doesn't turn into potato is a puddle of cream.

i used to make it fine, but my last several attempts have turned out with too much liquid and not that lovely layered 'cake' appearance it used to have. My go to was an old Delia recipe, then I tried Felicity Cloake one with boiling the potato first, followed the recipe to a T, and the cream still wasn't absorbed. i have tried different sized dishes too. I have moved country, so i think maybe the potato I am buying is the wrong type or the cream is the culprit. I don't add cheese to it.

I have seen one recipe that includes flour, but I think it might make it more like a white sauce.

All tips appreciated.

Less cream, better spuds and for the love of God add cheese!

Google the River Cottage (Hugh Fernley Whittingstall) recipe. I’ve used it for years and never had a problem. It’s amazing!

The trick for dauphinois is to make ahead of time and let it set. If you get it in restaurants this is usually what they do. So make it, bake it then let it cool. The cream absorbs into the potatoes and it sets then you can slice into and reheat it. It personally think it’s far nicer that way too

but also agree definitely needs cheese

You need the cheese to help clue it together and stop it being a bland mess

I’ve been using Delia’s recipe for at least 20 years, it never fails.

I am living in Switzerland, and have my fill of everything cheese.🧀

I too had been using Delia, which doesn't have cheese, hadn't make it for years and then started making it again and have messed it up each and every time since. I want to make it next week to serve with a beef wellington, so want it to work out.

Thanks for the river cottage recipe, that looks good, so will try that this time, will definitely try the option of making it in advance and reheating, which also makes dinner that bit easier.

I use waxy potatoes, then they don’t drop. I usually use Cyprus potatoes.

I think waxy may be the problem.
Delias recipe probably accounts for drier potatoes which would absorb the cream.

I use floury potatoes so they absorb the liquid. Prue Leith's recipe is my go to. You start gently frying onions in butter, then add the potatoes with cream and creme fraiche and simmer until tender, then bake. Makes a fab result IMO.
No cheese!

We're going to dinner to friends for dinner tonight; on the menu will be dauphinois potatoes - and they make the best dauphinois. It will have been made in advance using floury potatoes and a fair amount of garlic, frozen and then reheated to appear this evening.

Floury potatoes, washed but not soaked, mandolin thin. The starch helps them set.

I heat gently with the cream on the hob to start them off before going in the oven - covered in cheese.

My oven went bang yesterday. After this thread all I now want is dauphinoise potatoes.

Sad face

I’m really old school: sprinkle each layer with plain flour and slivers of butter. Add full fat milk or half cream. No cheese. Lots of seasoning. Definitely floury potatoes Potatoes should be sliced to 1/8 inch and very lightly par boiled. You don’t want a cheese dish with steak or a casserole but you could add grated cheese on top and Parmesan works well. The flour, butter and milk/cheese make a white sauce and it’s delicious but should be mostly soaked up by the potatoes so there’s no runny sauce. Doesn’t need onions unless you want them.

Nigellas recipe works for me- you cook the thinly sliced potatoes in the milk/cream on the hob first and then just finish them in the oven. It always turns out perfectly ImE.

No to cheese unless the cheese is going to be the focus of the meal.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/creamy-potato-gratin

Keith Floyd recipe is great (though loose in terms of quantities!).

Butter dish generously.
Finely slice potatoes using mandolin.
Wash potatoes several times to remove starch.
Dry potatoes in an even layer using kitchen roll or similar.
Layer potatoes in dish. For each layer, add generous knobs of butter, some chopped or grated garlic and salt & pepper. Final layer is potatoes only.
Pour in double cream to the top.
Stand for 15 mins.
Cover in foil and bake for an hour at 160 degrees Celsius.
Remove foil and bake to brown - this takes me about 40 min.
Stand for 15 mins out of the oven.

If you can find it on catch up, James Martin made Potato Dauphinois (and another creamy one) this morning on his cooking show

I'd vote for the HFW recipe. I use Schlagsahne and sometimes just a bit of cheese on the top but it's good with no cheese too.

James Martin did these yesterday on his show, he said ot use maris pipers or King Edwards (or was he referring to the roasties?)

But anyway the dishes he turned out, I could have eaten the lot. He did a slightly different dauphinous as well which had a different name but I wouldnt have known the difference