One Great Dish: Boursin makes gratin good and easy

Traditional recipes don't always have to be made according to tradition. Take this remarkably easy, yet lusciously accurate take on the classic potato gratin.

By Beth Dooley, Special to the Star Tribune

Last update: November 28, 2007 - 2:46 PM

Traditional recipes don't always have to be made according to tradition. Take this remarkably easy, yet lusciously accurate take on the classic potato gratin.

Granted, the original isn't terribly difficult, but it can be tricky and time consuming simmering together butter, milk and cream to pour over sliced potatoes that are baked. Simple as it sounds, the process often yields potatoes that are either gummy or dry and take more than an hour to cook.

Diane Dutcher of Brooklyn Park has created a recipe using Boursin (the soft, herb cheese) that's about as easy (and good) as this dish can get.

"It's something I can quickly put together after work for a weekday meal, such as our Monday night family dinner," she said.

"Getting everyone together for dinner on Monday nights has become a tradition for us since my daughter was married nearly nine years ago," she continued, and the tradition has expanded to include siblings and grandkids.

The ease of this particular classic dish, with its convenient and time-saving twist, makes it a "tradition" sure to stay.

What's your signature dish? Please send your recipes, along with stories, to Beth Dooley at bdirish@earthlink.net or by mail to Star Tribune, Taste / One Great Dish, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488. All letters, stories and recipe submissions become the property of Beth Dooley.