Potato gratin with cheese

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for serving
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Unsalted butter
• 900 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 0.3 cm thick slices
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for the cheese crust

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 205C.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream with the bay leaves, thyme, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
3. While the cream is heating, grease a casserole dish with butter. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bay leaves and thyme. Pour the hot cream into a large bowl with the potato slices. Gently stir. Sprinkle the potatoes with Parmesan. Season the mixture with a little salt and pepper. Stir lightly. Pour a small amount of cream into the bottom of the casserole dish. Then add the potatoes. Smooth the potatoes out so they bake evenly. Pour the remaining cream from the bottom of the bowl over the potato layer. Sprinkle with Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, opening one corner to allow steam to escape. Bake the gratin for 40 minutes.