Can You Freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes?
Dauphinoise potatoes are a rich creamy dish that is topped with a lot of cheese. It is this creamy and cheesy texture that gives the potatoes their scrumptious flavor. They are crispy and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. The cheese sauce gravy combined with potatoes is what to drool for, right?
Dauphinoise potatoes can be prepared with any variety of potatoes. They are quite easy to make, and probably they are the best combination of cheese and potatoes. Although it is easy to make dauphinoise potatoes, the cooking process needs effort: from frying to draining to baking. You might not always be in the mood to do all of that.
You must be wondering if you can make dauphinoise potatoes once and keep them for later use. If you can preserve them for later use. Well, yes, you can store dauphinoise potatoes in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3-4 days. But can you store them for longer? Can you freeze dauphinoise potatoes?
Yes, you can freeze dauphinoise potatoes. Like other potato dishes, they are one of those that freeze well. However, there are some things to keep in mind before freezing dauphinoise potatoes. This will ensure whether they freeze well or not. Read on to know more!
How Can You Freeze Dauphinoise Potatoes?
If you wish to freeze dauphinoise potatoes, consider cooking them without the cheese. This is because the cooked cheese might alter the texture of your potatoes. You can always put freshly prepared cheese on top while reheating.
However, if you have leftover dauphinoise potatoes, you can still freeze them. Check out both ways of freezing dauphinoise potatoes in the section below.
Freezing Dauphinoise Potatoes Without Cheese
If you intend to freeze dauphinoise potatoes, it is best advised to make them without the cheese. Freezing without cheese is the best way to keep them for longer in the freezer. This will also preserve the taste and texture of your dish.
Check out the step-by-step guide to freezing your dauphinoise potatoes without the cheese.
- Cook your dauphinoise potatoes as per your tastes. You can put everything except the cheese. Make sure you cook it even without the cheese.
- Put them on a tray and place them on the countertop to cool. Adequate cooling is necessary because this will affect freezing.
- While cooking and cooling dauphinoise potatoes, be careful, you keep an eye on the temperatures and timings because you will not be adding cheese.
- Wrap the cooled dauphinoise potatoes in several layers of plastic wrap. This is done to keep them nicely airtight.
- You can either transfer them into freezer bags or freeze them with the wrapping. Do not forget to label and date them, so that you know how long they have been in the freezer.
Freezing Dauphinoise Potatoes With Cheese
While you can freeze dauphinoise potatoes with cheese, it might not be as effective as freezing without the cheese. This is because the cheese might tend to separate when defrosted if kept in the freezer for longer. Thus, changing the flavor.
The dish also contains eggs, so be careful while freezing. However, you can freeze dauphinoise potatoes with cheese for about a month. This might or might not show flavor and texture alterations. Check out the steps to freeze them with cheese.
- If you have leftovers, or have cooked them with cheese, allow the dish to cool completely. Cooling is necessary for any dish you want to freeze.
- Wrap the dauphinoise potatoes adequately with plastic wrap. You can also use vacuum sealers to seal your potatoes.
- Label and date the packages and stack them in the freezer. You can either freeze them all together or in portions.
How Long Do Dauphinoise Potatoes Last In The Freezer?
Freezing dauphinoise potatoes increase their shelf-life by up to 2-3 months. Although, it is recommended to use them within 1 month for best results if you are freezing them with cheese. Potatoes without cheese can last longer in the freezer.
Can You Freeze Uncooked Dauphinoise Potatoes?
No, you cannot really freeze something that is uncooked. However, you can freeze partially cooked dauphinoise potatoes. By partially cooked, I mean half-baked potatoes that have not been added with other ingredients.
All you have to do is wrap the potatoes adequately with cling film or foil and transfer them into airtight containers. And they are ready to be frozen for up to 3 weeks. Also, you can freeze the half-cooked dauphinoise potatoes in the baking tray, as long as they are properly sealed with cling film.
How Can You Defrost Dauphinoise Potatoes?
Defrosting dauphinoise potatoes is an easy task. All you have to do is take out the potatoes from the freezer and let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight or for several hours until they defrost completely. If you have less time, you can defrost them in the microwave as well.
After the dauphinoise potatoes have completely defrosted, reheat them well. And if you have not added cheese already, add your desired amount of cheese sauce before eating them. Also, if you are defrosting dauphinoise potatoes with cheese, you can still add extra cheese over them.
Can You Refreeze Dauphinoise Potatoes?
No, it is not suggested to refreeze dauphinoise potatoes, be it with cheese or without. This is because refreezing will ruin the texture of your potatoes and alter the flavor of the delicious dish. Therefore, avoid refreezing dauphinoise potatoes.
However, you can consume frozen dauphinoise potatoes within a maximum of 2 days after defrosting. But make sure not to keep it for longer to preserve the taste.
How Can You Make Dauphinoise Potatoes At Home?
There are many ways to make dauphinoise potatoes at home. They can either be made on the stovetop, in a deep fryer, or even in a slow cooker. It depends on how you would like them cooked.
Check out the quick recipe here to make dauphinoise potatoes at home.
Ingredients you need:
- 500ml of heavy cream
- 500ml of milk
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 6-8 big potatoes
- 100g of grated gruyère cheese
Recipe for making dauphinoise potatoes:
- If you are using the oven, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius
- Take a big saucepan and add the heavy cream and milk
- Bring it to a simmer and add the garlic cloves
- Cook for another 3-5 minutes until it turns a little creamy
- Slice the potatoes into fine pieces and add them to the cream
- Wait until the potatoes are slightly cooked
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the potatoes and place them on a baking tray
- Take the garlic out of the cream and keep it aside
- Pour the cream over the potatoes and layer them with the grated cheese
- Bake them for 30 minutes or until they turn tender and golden brown
And your dauphinoise potatoes are ready! Serve them hot.