Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius fan forced.

Start with infusing the milk, place milk, fresh thyme, bay leaves and dijon mustard into a pot and place on your lowest stove heat. Allow to gently infuse, making sure it never simmers. If it’s beginning to steam, take it off the heat and let it sit in its infusion till ready to use.

Prep the potatoes by using a sharp knife to thinly slice the potatoes. Try to cut them in a way so you end up with similar sized potatoes, and optionally don’t use the ends. Place the potato slices into a large bowl of cold water as soon as they’re cut and place to the side once all cut.

Prep the cheesy béchamel base by placing a large pot on medium heat with olive oil. Add in the shallots with a pinch of salt and sauté down for 2-3 minutes until translucent.

Raise heat to high and then add in the white wine and cook down until it’s reduced by three quarters.

Add in the butter and once it’s melted in, add in the flour and mix together cooking out for 2 minutes.

Place a sieve on the pot and then pour in the infused milk, allowing the sieve to catch the herbs. Using a whisk, whisk the béchamel until slightly thicker, you want it still pourable.

Season with salt to taste and add in the nutmeg before adding the grated gruyere in batches and whisking in, until all melted in and homogeneous.

Take off heat and keep whisking for a minute whilst it cools.

In a large baking tray, add in ¾ of the cheesy béchamel to the bed of the tray.

Drain the water from the bowl of potatoes and in three lines longways, layer the potato slices onto each other, pushing some béchamel in between each touching potato.

Once all potatoes are used, place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes uncovered.

After 40 minutes, add the grated mozzarella on top and bake for another 30 minutes, or until golden and crunchy on top.

Once baked, take out of oven and cover with diced fresh chives on top and serve hot.