Anything cooked Dauphinoise style simply means it includes potatoes and is baked in milk, cream and/or cheese. The name comes from the Dauphiné area of the southeast of France, near the Italian border. Called Morue à la Dauphinoise in French, it’s a quite simple recipe but this salted cod dish is delicious!
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds (200g)salted cod, desalinated 24 hours in cold water
1/2 cup flour (70g) mixed with a little sweet paprika and a little fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 large sweet onions, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds (or any way you like to slice potatoes)
1 generous cup whole milk (after desalination, the drained cod may sit in this milk to await its fate)
1/4 (60 ml) cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
Squeeze of lemon
1/2 cup (70g ) toasted bread crumbs
Dash of nutmeg (optional)
Method
Soak the salt cod in cold water in a container in the refrigerator, changing the water daily for two days.
This will depend on the cod. Some are saltier than others. The smaller part of the cod will de-salt sooner than the larger section, so you may remove it from the water ahead of the rest of the fish. Keep refrigerated until use.
Drain the fish and cut into serving pieces.
Heat the oven to 375 F or 195 C.
Toss the cod pieces with the flour, pepper and paprika.
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and garlic until golden. Place these in a well-oiled shallow casserole.
Sauté the potatoes for a few minutes just until barely soft and add to the dish.
Take the fish from the flour mixture and place it on top of the onions and garlic.
Add the milk and cream to the casserole and dot with butter. Squeeze a few drops of lemon over the top.
Sprinkle the crumbs over the mixture
Bake for 35 minutes, then turn off the oven and the morue will hold for another 15 minutes.
Serve with fresh, stewed tomatoes and toasted baguette slices.
The leftovers may be whizzed up with fish or chicken broth into a mouth-watering soup. Add a spoon of Greek yogurt at the finish and a squeeze of lemon to keep the acids balanced.
Suzanne Dunnaway is the author of No Need To Knead, Handmade Italian Breads in 90 Minutes (Hyperion); Rome, At Home, The Spirit of la cucina romana in Your Own Kitchen (Broadway Books); No Need to Knead (Metric/American version-Grub Street Publishers, London).
