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Avengers' potatoes

Lurking behind this strange name (see reason below) is a kind of potato-cheese gratin, which is wrapped in thin slices of bacon. It's cooked first on the hob, then in the oven.

239,9644.4/5 for 18 ratings

Last modified on: February 21^th 2011

For 6 people, you will need:

1 1 kg 500 g potatoes
2 200 g belly (streaky) bacon
3 100 g grated cheese
4 1 tablespoon goose fat
5 salt
6 pepper
Total weight: 1,815 grams

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Measures:

How long does it take?

Time required

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
1 hour	54 min.	1 hour 54 min.

Keeping:

Several days in the fridge, covered by a plastic film.

At what time?

When will I finish if I start the recipe at a certain time?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at a certain time?

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Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 30 min.

Wash and peel 1 kg 500 g potatoes, cut into even medium sized slices

Stage 2 - 10 min.

Put the potato slices in a pan, cover with water, salt and bring to boil.

As soon as it boils, remove from heat and drain in strainer.

Set aside.

Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).

Stage 3 - 1 min.

In a large pan that can be used both on the hob and in the oven (with metal or removable handle), melt 1 tablespoon goose fat (or butter).

Stage 4 - 15 min.

As soon as fat is melted, remove pan from heat, and lay 200 g belly (streaky) bacon slices in bottom (bacon should be as thin as possible).

Make a kind of rose-window shape, radiating from centre...

Stage 5

...all round up and over the sides.

No matter if some slices overlap others a little, especially in centre, ideally you should no longer be able to see the bottom of the pan .

Stage 6 - 5 min.

Put one third of potatoes onto bacon, salt, pepper and add half grated cheese.

Stage 7 - 5 min.

Make another potato layer, add rest of cheese and a final layer of potatoes.

Stage 8 - 5 min.

Fold bacon slices over on top.

Stage 9 - 3 min.

Put the pan on high heat for 2 or 3 minutes, to start cooking and brown bacon.

Stage 10 - 40 min.

Put in the oven for about 40 minutes, until potatoes are soft.

Stage 11

Turn out by inverting pan onto a dish or a big plate.

Serve if possible with green salad and a good French dressing (vinaigrette).

Remarks

This is a very approximate recipe, don't hesitate to change all ingredients to your taste: a bit more of this, a bit less of that will pose no problem.

The strange name "avenger's potatoes"? Oh yes, here's the reason: it came from another recipe by famous French chef Joel Robuchon called "pommes des vendangeurs" (grape-pickers' potatoes). When we made it for the first time, my elder son Jeremy was 10 and he loved it (like all the family) and asked for more "avengers' potatoes" because that was what he'd understood by this new word. Of course, it's easier to understand the confusion in French, because the words "avengers" (vengeurs) and "grape-pickers" (vendangeurs) are quite similar. Anyway we kept the name for this (now) traditional family recipe.

Nutritional information

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

How much will it cost?

For 6 people : 18.66 €
Per person : 3.11 €

Note : These prices are only approximate

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Source

Joël Robuchon, via Jérémy.

More recipes?

This recipe uses (among others)

	Potatoes: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Normandy seafood stew, Winegrowers' sausage casserole, Smoky potato and potimarron gratin, Pan-fried potatoes, Endives "bonne femme", ... All
	Belly (streaky) bacon: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Bacon and cabbage omelette, Potatoes with bacon and herbs, Potato wallets, Pâté de campagne, "Land and sea" kebabs, ... All
	Grated cheese: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Firied fillet of sea bream with polenta, Spinach on toast with bechamel, Gratin Parmentier, Soufflée omelette with cheese, Quick stuffed courgettes, ... All
	Goose fat: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Cassoulet, Express sauerkraut, Chicken breasts with tarragon, Röstis, Rustic chicken and mushroom pie, ... All

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