Everyone has their Thanksgiving favorite and mine has always been and always will be the mashed potato. But since I, and the rest of the food world, have explored the many iterations of that dish ad nauseam, this year for Thanksgiving I wanted to create my take on another potato classic: the gratin. Something about the impossibly thin layers of potato peeking out from beneath bubbling cream and browned cheese feels appropriately celebratory for the occasion. To put my own Pacific Northwest twist on it, I've layered in sweet slices of apple and finished the gratin with a layer of my favorite local cheddar cheese. After a bite of this dish, all thoughts of the humble mashed potato were banished from my mind (for the time being).

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Ingredients

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot
2 tsp sage
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 apple
1 1/2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
3 oz Beecher's Flagship cheddar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot, thinly sliced, to the butter and cook until slightly softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 teaspoon of finely sliced sage, heavy cream and salt. Stir and bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

Slice the potatoes and apple very thinly, about 1/16–1/8". Using a mandolin makes this task quick and easy—just watch your fingers!

Assemble the gratin in a 9 1/2" pie dish or similar-size baking dish by alternating groups of potato and apple slices. Slightly lay each group over the previous one to create a shingled effect. This allows each slice to cook through efficiently and evenly.

Pour the cream mixture over the top of the potatoes and apples, being sure to evenly distribute all the shallots and sage.

Grate the cheddar cheese—I prefer Beecher's—and sprinkle over the top, along with the remaining 1 teaspoon of finely sliced sage.

Bake, uncovered, for an hour, until the cheese is deeply browned and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Let cool for about 10 minutes, then serve.