Potato and Mushroom Bake
A potato bake turns watery when the mushrooms go in raw: they release their moisture straight into the dish. Fried separately, they are already dry and smell of the pan, while the potato cooks quietly in cream. Thin slices are the second condition: thick ones stay raw in the middle.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Rest
- 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 35 min
- Servings
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 340 kcal
Ingredients
Makes: a 22×30 cm dish, 6 portions
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
-
Step 1: Fry the mushrooms dry
Cook them over high heat for 8–10 minutes until all the moisture has gone and they colour. This is the key step: raw mushrooms make the bake watery.
-
Step 2: Add onion and garlic
Add the onion and cook 5 minutes more until soft, then the garlic and thyme for 30 seconds. Season.
-
Step 3: Slice the potatoes thin
Cut them to 3 mm by knife or mandoline. Thicker slices will not cook through in 50 minutes and the centre stays firm.
-
Step 4: Build the layers
Half the potatoes in a greased dish, salted, then the mushrooms, then the rest of the potatoes. Salt each potato layer separately or the seasoning all stays on top.
-
Step 5: Pour over the cream
Mix the cream with the milk, season and pour it in so the liquid comes just below the top layer. The potato takes it up as it bakes.
-
Step 6: Bake covered
Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes at 190 °C. The foil holds the steam in and the potato cooks evenly.
-
Step 7: Brown with cheese
Remove the foil, scatter over the cheese and bake 15 minutes more to a golden crust. Rest it 15 minutes — hot, it will not hold its shape.
Tips & variations
-
Tip
Do not rinse the sliced potatoes: the starch you would wash away is exactly what binds the layers. That is why they go straight into the dish.
-
Tip
Test with a knife in the centre: it should meet no resistance at all. If it does, another 10 minutes under foil.
-
Variation
Wild mushrooms (300 g fresh or 40 g dried and soaked) deepen the flavour considerably. A dairy-free version uses plant cream and no cheese.
-
Storage
Three days in the fridge. Reheat at 170 °C for 20 minutes — microwaved, the potato turns rubbery.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 6 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 340 kcal | 2,040 kcal |
| Protein | 12 g | 72 g |
| Fat | 18 g | 108 g |
| Carbohydrates | 33 g | 198 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
Cooked it? Rate the recipe
No ratings yet — yours will be the first.
