Potato bake

Potato bakes are easy and lovely with a Sunday roast or a braai. The first is Mandy's version of potatoes dauphinoise or au gratin, the second is one that I found in an Italian recipe book (Italian Vegetables) that uses mascarpone and bay leaves.

Mandy's potato bake

Ingredients

(quantities will vary depending on the number of people you need to feed)

potatoes

garlic (chopped)

fresh rosemary (or thyme)

butter

salt and pepper

grated cheese

cream (one tub of cream is usually enough, you don't want it too wet)

a little olive oil

Peel and slice the potatoes (about 1/4 inch thick). Put a little olive oil in the bottom of an ovenproof dish, do layers of potato, chopped garlic, rosemary, dabs of butter, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Grate a little cheese over the top. Pour cream into the potato. Bake in oven at 200 C for about an hour or until golden on top.

Potatoes with mascarpone and bay leaves

(patate al latte, mascarpone e alloro)

Ingredients

4 fresh bay leaves (or more to taste)

400 g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

150 g mascarpone

200 ml milk

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.  Butter an ovenproof dish and put 2 bay leaves in the bottom.  Arrange the potatoes in the dish in layers.  Put the Mascarpone and milk in a small saucepan and season well with salt and pepper.  Add a couple of bay leaves and slowly bring to the boil, whisking to dissolve any lumps.  Pour the mixture over the potatoes and if you like a strong bay flavour tuck in bay leaves around the edge of the dish.

Bake for about 1 1/4 hours or until the potatoes are tender (the potatoes won't absorb all of the liquid)