Full Gastronomic Tilt

Dinner plans, via text message:

“Have leeks & potatoes. Thinking something rustic/French. Ideas?”
“Gratin! With thyme and carm. onions.”
“Perfect. Gruyère?”
“I’ll get it. Bringing wine, too.”‘

Gratin: n. French origin, from grater (to scratch), typically refers to any dish with a lightly browned top crust of crumbs, butter and/or cheese. A base of potatoes is traditional. (see also: delicious)

Many gratins are heavy and rich. Soaked with cream and liberal amounts of butter, gratins make for a filling dinner on the coldest evenings. I was aiming for something more complex. This gratin allows the individual vegetables to shine through and complement one another, from the delicate butter-sauteed leeks to the densely sweet caramelized onions. Everything soaked up the fresh flavor of the homemade vegetable stock. Topped with a salty cheese layer, browned to perfection, this dish is good!

It should serve up to four….the two of us made it disappear quickly.

Saturday Night Gratin (Samedi soir gratin)
serves 3-4

6-8 Red Bliss or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
1 red onion, diced finely
3 leeks, trimmed to white and light green parts, sliced thinly
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) vegetable stock
1/4 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1 cup shredded Gruyère
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-low heat. Add the diced red onion to the pan and stir, spreading the onion across the bottom of the pan. Add a pinch of salt and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. They will shrink considerably and turn a deep reddish-brown color. Transfer onions to a prep bowl.

Combine broth and cream. Set aside.

Slice the potatoes thinly (but not too thin!), about 1/4 inch. We left the skins on, but you can peel them if you desire.

In the same pan you prepared the onions in, melt the butter over medium heat. Add leeks, carrot and a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in thyme.

Butter a 9×13 pan and arrange the potatoes in a layer on the bottom. I overlapped them around the outside into the middle. Spread the carrot, leek and thyme mixture over the potatoes, followed by the caramelized red onions and one more layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and more thyme.

Pour the broth and cream mixture over everything and sprinkle the gruyère on top. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender but not soft.

Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes to brown the cheese.

Serve immediately, with some chewy bread spread with butter.