Gratin made from black trumpet mushrooms. I used an 8 inch pie tin for this and didn't fill it full to the brim since I wanted a thin, less heavy gratin to heat up for lunch. Feel free to adjust the seasonings, and use whatever baking pan you have or even a cast iron skillet-they work great too.
2ouncesfresh black trumpet mushrooms cleaned if needed and cut into ½ inch pieces, roughly 1.5 cups, or a good handful of dried mushrooms reconstituted and dried (save their liquid for something else)
1tablespoonfresh minced garlic
1tablespoonchopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepperto taste
2tablespoonsheavy creamoptional, but it helps the top from drying out
Instructions
Melt half of the butter in a pan, then add the garlic and the mushrooms, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook for roughly five minutes until aromatic, then take the pan off the heat and reserve.
Peel the potatoes then shave very thin roughly 1/16-⅛ inch on a mandoline slicer.
Lightly butter the baking dish, then lay down a layer of potatoes.
Season lightly with salt and pepper, then add a spoon or two of the cooked black trumpet-garlic mixture and a sprinkle of thyme, then repeat the process, layering potatoes, mushrooms and thyme, ending with a layer of potatoes that you can shingle into an attractive pattern if you want.
Dot the top with butter, drizzle with the cream, then bake, covered tightly with foil at 325 for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and increase the heat to 400 for another 20-30 until the top is very lightly browned and the potatoes are tender when pierced.