Delmonico Potato Casserole
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS To revive this classic potato dish, we first focused on how to prep the potatoes.
Boiled cubed potatoes won out over shredded because they held their texture better
in the casserole. Next, we sautéed onion and garlic, added cream and chicken broth
(to cut the richness of the cream), and cooked the cubed potatoes in this mixture.
Lemon juice and zest brought the casserole welcome brightness. For the crusty topping,
we turned to an unexpected ingredient: frozen shredded hash browns. We sautéed the
thawed hash browns in butter, cream, and chicken broth to enhance their flavor before
topping the casserole. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
SERVES 8 TO 10
We prefer the buttery flavor of Yukon Gold potatoes here, but all-purpose and red potatoes also work. Do not use russets—their high starch content will make the casserole gluey. For the topping, we had good results with Ore-Ida Country Style Hash Browns, available in the frozen foods aisle of most supermarkets.
|
3 |
tablespoons unsalted butter |
|
1 |
onion, chopped fine |
|
2 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
2½ |
cups heavy cream |
|
1½ |
cups chicken broth |
|
2½ |
pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes |
|
⅛ |
teaspoon ground nutmeg |
|
Salt and pepper |
|
|
1 |
teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice |
|
5 |
cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed and patted dry with paper towels |
|
1½ |
ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (¾ cup) |
|
¼ |
cup finely chopped fresh chives |
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook onion until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 2 cups cream, 1 cup broth, Yukon Golds, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are translucent at edges and mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon zest and juice.
2. Transfer potato mixture to 13 by 9-inch baking dish and bake until bubbling around edges and surface is just golden, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shredded potatoes until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add remaining ½ cup cream, remaining ½ cup broth, and ½ teaspoon pepper to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in ½ cup Parmesan and 2 tablespoons chives.
3. Remove baking dish from oven and top with shredded potato mixture. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan and continue to bake until top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chives. Serve.
TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare through step 1, let cool completely, transfer to baking dish, and refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for 1 day. To serve, proceed as directed in step 2, increasing baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.