Au Gratin Vegetables

Au Gratin Vegetables

Adapted from Andreas Viestad's Kitchen of Light and made with spring CSA veggies from Harmony Valley Farm!

These Midwestern women love this dish any time of the year and adapt it to whatever happens to be in season and delicious at the time. Pair with fish, poultry or pork and a salad with a tangy vinaigrette for a delicious meal!

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs sweet overwintered parsnips, sliced thin
1 lb sunchokes, sliced thin
1 lb potatoes, sliced thin (any variety of potato works, but the starchier the better!)
2 bay leaves broken in half
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
1/2 lb grated cheese (I prefer Gruyere, but often use a mixture of whatever I have on hand)

Preparation:
Mix together and spread out the slices of parsnip, sunchokes and potatoes along with the bay leaves and garlic in a oiled 13x9 baking pan. Whisk together the nutmeg, cream, milk, and half of the cheese in a separate bowl. Pour this over the top of the vegetables and mix a little to ensure the cheese is throughout the mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the dish. Place the dish in the middle oven rack and bake at 300F for one hour. Increase the temperature and bake for 20-25 more minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let it cool down and set for approximately 15 minutes before serving.

A Helpful Hint:
ANY sort of mixture of vegetables will work in this dish, so it is very versatile for any time of year. It has been made with cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco, sweet potato, rutabega, and even turnips in addition to the other vegetables listed above! I like to pair the vegetables with all different kinds of cheeses for this dish. Branch out and try something new!

A Time Saver:
Short on time to make this dish? Try the short cut method: take a box of ready prepared au gratin potatoes (Betty Crocker works well), and add some of your own ingredients. Layer in other chopped vegetables with the potatoes (I like to add broccoli and cauliflower). To the seasoning package, add some additional milk and cheese. When this is all mixed together, add a sprinkle more cheese to the top of the pan. This will only need to bake for about 30 minutes, and you will have your own delicious au gratin vegetables! This is a great way to use up the extra veggies in your fridge!

Be creative, and let us know what your favorite combination is!