Herbed Potato Gratin With Roasted Garlic and Manchego

• heads garlic cloves, separated, not peeled↗3
• olive oil↗1 tablespoon
• half-and-half↗1 quart
• chopped thyme1 tablespoon
• chopped rosemary1 teaspoon
• salt↗
• pepper↗
• yukon gold potatoes (peeled and very thinly sliced)↗5 lbs
• aged manchego cheese, coarsely shredded (2 cups)↗9 ounces
• smoked gouda cheese, shredded (or San Simon cheese)↗1 cup

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 357 degrees. In a cake pan, drizzle garlic with oil. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes, until tender. Let cool, then squeeze out cloves. Mash the garlic to a paste and transfer to saucepan.

2. 2

   Add half-and-half, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and simmer over very low heat until reduced to 3 cups, approximately 20 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

3. 3

   Arrange 1/4 of the potatoes in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Top with 1/4 of the grated cheeses and drizzle lightly with the garlic cream.

4. 4

   Repeat layering in the same way with the rest of the ingredients. Pour any remaining cream on top and press top layer of potatoes to submerge.

5. 5

   Bake gratin for about 1-1/2 hours, until golden and bubbling. Let cool twenty minutes before cutting into squares and serving.