Potato Gratin With Cauliflower
Today I’ve got one of my favorite side dishes for you. This recipe is a spin on the classic potato gratin. In the video, I show you my version, in which I add some cauliflower, which may not quite make it healthy, it does get some additional vegetables on the plate, which is always a good thing. As I show you in the recipe video, it only takes about 20 minutes to prep, and maybe 40 to cook, and goes great with everything from steaks to fish. Give it a try.
Recipe Overview and Keys to Success
One of great things about potato gratin, is that it can take a very wide variety of additions. This version, with cauliflower, is pretty standard, and there are only a few things you need to be aware of:
- Potatoes can take a lot of seasoning, so don’t be shy with the salt and pepper – or you’ll end up with bland food
- The potato and cauliflower will cook at different rates; so I cooking mine separately and then add them together for the final bake in the oven
- The starch in the potato with thicken the cream as it cooks, so you probably want a bit more cream than you might think; when it goes into the oven it should be a bit soupy
Ingredients for Potato Cauliflower Gratin (for 4)
- 2 medium Russet potatoes
- ½ pint of cream
- ½ cup of cauliflower
- 1/3 cup of gruyere (or another favorite) cheese
- ½ teaspoon of thyme
Making the Gratin
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Dice the cauliflower into bit size pieces and blanch them until just barely tender in a pot of boiling salted water; remove and let stand while you work on the potatoes
- Peel and slice the potatoes into slices about ¼ inch thick; if you do ahead of time, hold them in bowl of water, so they are not exposed to the air where they will brown
- In a sauté pan, bring the cream up to a simmer; and add the sliced potatoes with a good pinch of salt and pepper
- Cover and let simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, tossing occasionally (but gently so you don’t break up the potatoes (make sure the cream doesn’t boil over)
- Add in the blanched cauliflower, thyme and ¾ of the cheese, and stir to combine; if needed, you can add a bit more cream, there should enough to cover the mixture by about ¾’s and it won’t hurt to have a bit more – more is better than less
- Taste the cream and add more salt/pepper if needed
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and move the whole pan into the oven to bake for about 20 minutes – or until the top bubbles and is golden brown
- If your sauté pan isn’t oven proof, you can transfer everything to a baking dish, just prior to sprinkling on the cheese
Once browned on top, use a knife to test the potatoes for doneness, but they should be fine. If you need extra time, cover, and let them go until tender. Once I pull the gratin out of the oven I like to give it 5 – 10 minutes to cool before serving.
This is an awesome side dish, and I hope you enjoy it. Leave a comment and let me know how it goes.
Comments (5 )