I don’t know if it’s me, or the Winter, but the last few weeks I have been feeling rather.. well, sleepy and more or less in energy saving mode. My motivation, or better said the lack of it, even got as far as the kitchen. So after keeping my cooking as simple as it gets, which mostly consisted of salad or just a sandwich, I thought it is time for something a little bit more fancy.  Well, in this case it means something baked, not too complicated but, above all, tasty. This gratin definitely falls in all of these categories, it’s delicious and simple. Though very tasty on its own, if arranged well, this dish can delight your guests. I only wanted to delight myself, and combined it with salmon and fresh cress. And I would invite myself over again.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15min                                                        Baking time: 1 hour.

800g (5-6 )Potatoes

1 garlic clove

250ml / 1 cup milk

250ml / 1 cup whipping cream 30%

1 Tbsp vegetable stock

ground nutmeg

herbal salt

pepper

butter flakes and some for greasing

handfull of fresh cress

ca 400g of salmon

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/ 350ºF. Grease a flat gratin dish, or baking pan, with butter. Peel the garlic, then press and spread evenly in the form. Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices.
Layer half of the potato slices into the baking pan. Season lightly with herb salt and freshly grated nutmeg, then layer the remaining potatoes on top.
Mix the cream and the milk. Add the vegetable stock, herb salt, nutmeg and pepper. Pour the mixture over the potatoes. Spread butterflakes on the gratin and put in the oven for an hour. When ready, take it out and set aside.Clean the salmon, preheat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Place the fish in a pan and sear for few minutes from each side.

Cut the gratin and arrange on a plate along with salmon. Garnish with cress. Serve warm.