Crossword Genius

Dish that’s initially covered in a tiny amount of salt (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

gratin

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'dish that's initially covered' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'in a tiny amount of salt' is the wordplay.
'in' is an insertion indicator.
'a tiny amount' becomes 'grain' (I've seen this in another clue).
'of salt' becomes 't' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'grain' placed around 't' is 'GRATIN'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gratin that I've seen before include "Dish covered with grated cheese" , "With a crisp, golden topping" , "Au . . . . . . means cooked with melted cheese" , "A dish cooked with grated cheese on it" , "Au . . . . . . - cooked with a crust of melted cheese" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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