Members submit fav recipes to me, and occasionally I find one for people that helps first timers feel confident cooking a stewing hen or a slow cook roast, etc.

Categories

Recipes in Season (3)
Herbs (2)

Sweet Potato Celeriac Swiss Chard Gratin

This is healthful comfort food at its finest! The original is just sweet potato, but I found adding the celeriac provides a nice mix of flavours. This recipe is a bit complicated and time consuming, but worth it.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen (Entered by Kelly Graham)
Serves: 12 as side dish, 6 as main
Vegetarian!

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1 onion
3 pounds swiss chard, leaves and stems separated and cut into1-inch pieces      View Available Products
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
2 cloves garlic, minced      View Available Products
2 tablespoon flour
1 pound sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds      View Available Products
1 pound celeriac, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds      View Available Products
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 cup coarsely grated gruyere cheese
salt and pepper

Step by Step Instructions
  1. Prep greens: Cook onion in 2 tablespoons butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add chard stems, pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender but not browned, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to moderately high and add chard leaves by large handfuls, stirring, until all greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper then transfer greens to a colander to drain well and press out liquid with back of a large spoon.
  2. Make sauce: Combine cream or milk and garlic in small saucepan; bring to simmer; keep warm. Melt two tablespoons butter in a medium heavy saucepan over moderate heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, whisking, one minute, then slowly whisk in warm cream/milk and boil, whisking, one minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
  3. Assemble gratin: Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter deep 9×13 baking dish. Spread half of sweet potatoes and celeriac in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and a 1/4 cup of the cheese. Distribute half of the greens mixture over the cheese, then sprinkle salt, pepper, a quarter of the herbs and 1/4 cup of the cheese over it. Pour half of bechamel sauce over the first two layers then continue with the remaining sweet potatoes and celeriac, more salt, pepper, herbs and cheese and then the remaining greens, salt, pepper and herbs. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the gratin, pressing the vegetables slightly to ensure that they are as submerged as possible. Sprinkle with the last 1/4 cup of cheese.
  4. Bake gratin for about 1 hour until golden and bubbly, and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
  5. Do ahead: You can make the entire gratin but not bake it up to a day in advance and keep it in the fridge. You can also make and bake the gratin and reheat it.

Comments

Comments added by fellow market members.