Scalloped Potatoes with Goats Cheese and Herbes de Provence

Buzz

A wonderful complement to a beef or lamb roast, the mix of dried herbs known as Herbes de Provence usually consists of basil, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. On occasion we also include lavender, which adds a flavour that is the most reminiscent of Provence. I’m not sure, where this recipe came from, I have a sneaking suspicion that it might have been in Gourmet magazine sometime about 1992 and Lady Hanson cut it out for me to try at the next dinner party, I always had to adapt recipes for Lord and Lady Hanson as they didn’t want garlic and only wanted the flavour from onion not texture. I can recall that we first served it with a Prime Rib Roast for a dinner party on the run up to Christmas which included Lord and Lady Hanson, Bill Creasy, Jimmy Ross, Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, Kirk and Anne Douglas plus a couple more probably The Michael Caine’s and The Roger Moore's, what I do remember is that it was as popular as the beef.

Serves / Makes: 8 servings
Prep-Time: 10 minutes
Cook-Time: 60 minutes

You Will Need

1½ cups, whipping cream

1½ cups, chicken stock

1 cup, dry white wine

½ cup, minced shallots

1 tablespoon, minced garlic

4 teaspoons, Herbes de Provence (Provençal herbs), see my recipe on MyDish

¾-teaspoon sea salt

285 grams, soft fresh goat’s cheese, crumbled

1 ¾ kilos, potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

Method

Preheat the oven to 400°F / 190°C / Gasmark 7. Butter a 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass-baking dish, mix the first 7 ingredients in large pan, and bring to simmer over a medium to high heat. Add half of the cheese, whisk until smooth. Chill the remaining cheese.

Add the potatoes to the pan and bring back to a simmer, transfer the potato mixture to the prepared dish, spreading evenly, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until the potatoes are very tender and the liquid bubbles thickly, about 40 minutes. Dot the potatoes with the remaining cheese and bake until the cheese softens, about 5 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving Serve and Enjoy!

Notes

The Mediterranean flavour of these herbs is essential to many meat, poultry, and game, and vegetable dishes, particularly tomato-based and grilled dishes. Provençal cuisine has by tradition used many herbs, which were often considered collectively as "Herbes de Provence,” but not in any exacting recipes, and not sold as a blend. Herbes de Provence can be different in content and quantity; more often than not, the blend will comprise thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, savory, and basil you can prepare your own blend using these herbs alongside with other quantities of aromatic herbs as lavender, fennel seeds and sage all depending on your personal taste, I personally like a little lavender added to the blend.