Sweet Potato and Bacon Gratin - based on a recipe from The Food52 Cookbook
Easily adaptable for any number.
Sweet potatoes - one for each person and an extra 1 or 2 for good measure
Cheese – gruyere or sharp cheddar both work well, shred about ½ cup per person
Bacon – dice at least 1/3 of a cup per person
Cream and/or broth (chicken or vegetable) – about 1/3 cup per person
Set oven to 400 degrees.
Grease casserole dish with oil or butter.
Wash sweet potatoes and slice in fairly thin rounds, about ¼ inch. (Don’t worry about peeling. The skins have Vitamins C and E, potassium, iron, beta carotene and fiber.)
Put a layer of slightly overlapping sweet potato rounds in the casserole dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread a good handful of chopped bacon and a handful of shredded cheese over the top.
Repeat layers until all ingredients have been added.
Pour over all the cream or broth, or use some of each. The vegetables should be just moist, not swimming.
Cover loosely and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Potato Leek Soup - based on a splendid recipe from The Splendid Table
5 cups leeks, thinly
sliced
4 cups potatoes, peeled
and chopped
7 cups water
about 1 ½ teaspoons salt
generous grindings of
pepper
butter
Thinly slice 3 large well-rinsed leeks. Use everything that is tender, whether white
or green.
In a heavy soup pot gently saute leeks in 2 or 3 pats of
butter.
Roughly peel and chop enough potatoes to yield 4 cups
(Though any potato will do, The Splendid Table recommends baking potatoes and
we agree.)
Add potatoes, water, salt and pepper to the leeks and bring
to a gentle boil.
Lower temperature and simmer for approximately 45 minutes until potatoes are soft
and broth is beginning to thicken.
Adjust salt and pepper if necessary, then puree to desired
consistency.
A richer broth can be gained by substituting chicken broth (homemade if possible) for some or all of the water. Or, as The Splendid Table suggests, stir about ½ cup heavy cream into the finished soup.
Serves 4 people 2 big bowls each. Don’t count on leftovers.
Simply Rich
Sliced Potatoes Two Ways
With chicken broth:
(based on Jacques Pepin’s Pomme de Terre Boulangere
from Jacques and Julia Cooking at Home)
2 pounds
potatoes, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
2-3 cups
thinly sliced onions
2 cups
chicken broth (homemade if possible)
5-6 cloves sliced
garlic
6 sprigs
fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp
freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven
400 degrees.
Butter a
casserole dish, then layer the potatoes and onions.
Sprinkle
layers with salt and pepper.
Tuck thyme,
garlic and and bay leaves throughout.
Heat the
broth just to boiling, then pour over the potatoes. Liquid should not completely cover the veg,
but be about halfway up the dish. You want every bit to be absorbed as the
potatoes bake.
Cover with
aluminum foil.
Bake at 400
degrees until potatoes are tender. (About 40 minutes.)
Uncover and
return to oven until the top browns and develops a a lovely crust.
With cream:
2 lbs
potatoes, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
2 – 2 ½ cups
cream or half ‘n half (or milk in a pinch)
2 cups
onions, very thinly sliced
3 cloves
garlic, crushed
6 sprigs
fresh thyme or 3 Tbs fresh rosemary leaves or a combination
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp
freshly ground pepper
Parmesan for
grating
Preheat oven
400 degrees.
Butter a
casserole dish, then layer the potatoes and onions.
Sprinkle
layers with salt and pepper.
Tuck herbs throughout.
Heat the
cream in a saucepan, with the crushed garlic and bay leaves, slowly increasing
the heat until the cream begins to thicken and boil. Stay
close by and stir the cream while it heats, it will bubble up and scorch before
you know it.
Pour the hot
cream over the potatoes. Liquid should not
quite cover the veg. You want this dish
to be thick and creamy, not soupy.
Cover with
aluminum foil.
Bake at 400
degrees until potatoes are tender. (40
minutes or so)
Remove foil
and grate parmesan over the top and return to oven briefly until the cheese
begins to melt and color a bit.
Remove from
oven and grate a bit more cheese over the top.
Let the casserole rest a few minutes before serving.
Note:
If you have some leftover caramelized onions on hand, they could be
substituted for the freshly sliced onions in these recipes. But does anyone ever really have caramelized
onions left over?
