Root vegetable gratin

Potato gratins have always been one of my all time favourite comfort dishes.  Warm, creamy potatoes enhanced by a smattering of fresh herbs and cheese, there is nothing quite like it.  Then one day I thought, why should potatoes have all the fun?  Enter this mixed root vegetable gratin which offers up a little more flavour bang for your buck.  The combination of sweet potatoes,  piquant turnip and earthy yellow potatoes gives this gratin character. The addition of Gruyere cheese and nutmeg leaves you with a glorious recipe worth sharing.

Serves 6

1 cup 35% cream

½ cup 2% milk

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

250g Gruyere cheese

600g yellow potatoes (about 3 medium)

400g turnips (about 2 small)

400g sweet potato (about 1 large)

1 tsp butter

2 shallots, minced

2 tbsp chopped thyme

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400F

1. Add the cream, milk and garlic into a pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat off and set aside.

2. Grate all the Gruyere cheese. Set a ½ cup aside to garnish the top of the gratin. Use the remaining two cups in step 5, while assembling.

3. Peel the potatoes, turnip and sweet potatoes.  Use a mandolin (or a very sharp knife) to slice all the root vegetables in 1/8” thick slices.

4. Grease an 8.5 x 11 baking dish with the butter.

5. Assemble the gratin by tightly arranging slices of the yellow potato on the bottom of the pan. Potatoes can overlap slightly. Top the potatoes with some shallot, chopped thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg and grated cheese. Continue with a turnip layer followed by the shallots, spices and cheese. Follow suit with a sweet potato layer.  Repeat this process until you use all of the root vegetables.  End with a layer of root vegetables on the top.

6. Remove the garlic from the cream mixture and discard. Pour the cream over the root vegetables.  Top with remaining grated cheese.

7. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 45min.

8. Remove foil and cook for another 45min until the top is well browned and the vegetables are tender.

9. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15min before serving.

Tip: Of the 2 ½ cups of grated cheese, set ½ a cup aside before you begin assembling so you have enough to garnish the top of the gratin with.

For a printable version of the recipe click here.