Homemade Pesto Dauphinoise

Ingredients

• 1 white onion (large; chopped)
• 4 white potatoes (large, roughly baking-potato size; peeled and thinly sliced)
• 400 ml double cream
• 150 g Parmesan (for the top; grated)
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• olive oil (some, for cooking the onion)
• 3 handfuls fresh basil (plus a few leaves for optional garnish)
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 lemon lemon juice (juiced)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 large handful pine nuts
• 1 large handful walnuts
• 200 ml olive oil (for the pesto)
• 150 g Parmesan (for the pesto)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. 2

   Chop the onion. Add it to a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until soft.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the potatoes, using a mandoline if available. Set them aside.

4. 4

   Add the pesto ingredients—basil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, pine nuts, walnuts, olive oil, and 150 g Parmesan—to a blender. Blend until smooth, tasting and seasoning as you go.

5. 5

   Add two-thirds of the pesto and the double cream to the pan with the softened onion. Mix to make the creamy pesto sauce.

6. 6

   In an oven dish, layer the potatoes and creamy pesto sauce, alternating layers until both have been used.

7. 7

   Top with the 150 g Parmesan listed for the topping, grated. Bake for 1–1½ hours, until the potatoes are cooked through.

8. 8

   Remove the dish from the oven. Top with the remaining one-third of the pesto for a glossy finish, then add more Parmesan and a few basil leaves if desired.

Notes

The source does not specify the amount of olive oil used to cook the onion or the amount of extra Parmesan and basil used for finishing. It also does not give a weight for the handfuls of herbs and nuts, so those weights and nutrition values are estimates. Serving yield is stated as 6–8.

Nutrition per serving

• side
• vegetarian
• gluten-free
• baked
• comfort food
• dinner party