A tale of two gratins

 

Merriam-Webster defines a gratin as a dish that has bread crumbs or cheese on top and is baked in an oven. While that is, technically, true, a gratin is a much more complex dish than all that. If you google the word gratin, you’ll find myriad interpretations of the dish. You’ll also find the traditional potato, cheese, cream version too. Oh and those godawful boxed ones you find in the rice aisle at the supermarket.

Today, I present to you two variations. One, a more classic potato-leek adapted from an Ina Garten recipe I had found years ago and the other a Southern French zucchini gratin which I was introduced to by one of my favorite French ladies. I hope I can do her gratin aux courgettes justice!

Potato-Leek-Fennel Gratin:
photo on right, above

6 medium-small potatoes, sliced thin
1 large leek, sliced with the top discarded
1 large fennel bulb, cored, sliced and with the fronds discarded
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated gruyere cheese
1 cup grated emmental cheese
2 cups heavy cream
butter or cooking spray for greasing the pan
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8×8 or 9×13 glass baking dish. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat about a tablespoon of butter and saute the leeks and fennel until tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine all three cheeses in a bowl, then sprinkle the bottom of the baking dish with some of the cheese mixture.

Begin to arrange a single layer of the potato slices on top of the cheese. Once you have enough to cover the bottom of the pan, spoon and spread some of the leek and fennel mixture on top. Sprinkle a pinch of the nutmeg and thyme on top of that. Very sparingly add salt and black pepper.  Then, sprinkle more of the cheese mixture on top of that. Make another layer of potato slices and repeat the process above until you are just slightly over 3/4 of the height of the baking dish. Make sure that your top layer is just potato slices. Then, sprinkle any remaining cheese over the top.

Pour the heavy cream over the mixture and let it absorb before placing in the oven for about 45 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the top is a deep, golden brown. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving as it will be extremely hot.

Gratin aux Courgettes:
photo on left, above

3-4 small zucchini, grated
1 medium onion, chopped
8oz diced ham
1 cup cooked white rice
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease either an 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish with 1tbsp of the butter. Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with about 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs and set aside.
In a large saucepan, heat the remaining tbsp of butter and add the onion and grated zucchini. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the zucchini is tender. Stir in the ham, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for another minute or so. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine the rice with the zucchini, ham, and onion mixture. Stir in the parmesan. In a smaller bowl or measuring cup, beat the egg into the milk. Gradually add the milk and egg mixture to the other ingredients. Be sure to do this very slowly as the mixture will be hot and you don’t want to cook the egg in it.

Once you have combined all the above ingredients, pour the mixture into the baking pan. Don’t worry if you have some left over. Top the mixture in the pan with the remaining breadcrumbs and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is a deep, golden brown.

Just like the other gratin, let it rest for about 10 minutes before serving.