Mashed Potato Gratin with Garlic and Onions

Ingredients:

• 4 large idaho potatoes
• 2 large garlic heads roasted
• 2 large onions baked
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup gruyere cheese

Steps:

• Remove the papery covering of the garlic heads but do not peel and do not separate the cloves
• Wrap well in foil and put them in the oven
• Put the onions on a double sheet of foil but do not wrap them; put them in the oven
• Pierce the potatoes in several places with a thin skewer or the tines of a fork
• Place them directly on the oven rack
• Bake the garlic for one hour and the onions and the potatoes for an hour and a half at 425F degrees
• After an hour pull out the garlic heads unwrap and let cool for 5 minutes
• Separate the cloves and squeeze them over a bowl so the softened garlic pops out into the bowl
• After 1 1/4 hours pull out the onions and potatoes
• If the onions are not very soft almost collapsed put them back in for a few minutes
• Perforate the potatoes lengthwise and crosswise with the tines of a fork and squeeze
• Scoop the potato flesh into a bowl and mash it with a potato masher
• With a sharp knife cut off the stem and root ends of the onions
• Remove the skin and the first layer
• Put the onions in a food processor and puree
• Combine the potatoes garlic onion 1/4 cup of cream and salt and pepper in the bowl of a mixer
• Beat with the paddle blade until smooth and blended then scrape the mixture into a large gratin bowl
• Sprinkle the top with cheese
• The recipe can be made ahead to this point and kept in the refrigerator covered for a day or so Bring to room temperature before proceeding Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F
• Pour the remaining cream over the mixture
• Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly and the cream has cooked down to a very thick suace-like consistency
• Try to arrange to have some leftovers; this is very good when it is cold