Ingrid van den Arend

Serves 4. Side dish Preparation time approx. 15 minutes
(plus 25 minutes in the oven).

• 500 grams of waxy potatoes
• approx. 1½ to 2 dl of cooking cream
• the zest of 1 lemon (only the yellow parts!)
• 4 small sprigs of thyme
• butter for greasing
• salt, coarsely-ground pepper
• extra: 4 small soufflé moulds (contents approx. 2 dl), baking paper

Pre-heat the oven (with a rack in it) to 200˚C.
Warm up the cream in a saucepan with the lemon zest and the sprigs of thyme. Leave to steep for 15 minutes and pour through a sieve.
Scrub the potatoes under cold running water and dry them well. Thinly slice the potatoes (2/3 mm). This is best done with a slicer or a mandolin. Grease the soufflé moulds with butter. Cut rounds from the baking paper the size of the bottom of the moulds. Place the baking paper rounds in the moulds. Place the potato slices on the baking paper. Press well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon 2 tablespoons of cream into each mould and bake in the hot oven for approx. 25 to 30 minutes until done and golden-brown. If the tops are getting too dark, you can always cover them with a round of baking paper.
Loosen the edges and turn each gratin onto a plate. You can also serve them in their moulds, in which case you can omit the baking paper.

Tip: Delicious with duck breast fillet marinated in 1 dl of port, 1 dl of orange juice, and 2 tablespoons of mustard. Fry the duck breast for 10 to 14 minutes until medium rare. Thicken the marinade with small pieces of spiced cinnemon biscuits and serve as a sauce.