Winter Vegetable Gratin

 

I am really enjoying my Winter food at the moment. I love comfort types of meals, a bit heavier and stodgier than summer meals might be.   

I really enjoy casseroles, be they side dishes or mains and I especially enjoy this fabulous winter vegetable gratin recipe I am sharing with you here today! 

 

 

This is a dish that is just as happy playing side fiddle to a delicious piece of meat, poultry or fish as it is playing a main course to a vegetarian.  It also makes excellent use of the winter root vegetables that are in abundance at the moment.

You can choose any group of these in any combination you wish, but today I have used Celeriac, Swede (rutabaga), carrots, parsnips and potatoes. 

 

But as I said you can use any root vegetables.  Sweet potatoes are nice, as is Kohlrabi or even turnips. You can also use some of the winter squashes.  Butternut, acorn, etc. 

The only vegetable I don't recommend is beetroot and that is not because it doesn't taste good, but rather that the red color bleeds rather unattractively into the sauce. If that is not a problem for you, by all means use it. 

Celeriac is a vegetable you may not be familiar with.  Or some of you may not be at any rate. It is the root of a particular variety of celery plant and has  the mild flavor of celery.    It is also called celery root.

I love it myself and love to use it in soups, stews and gratins such as this one.  It may be rather ugly to look at, but don't let the way it looks scary you away.   It has a texture which is close to that of a turnip or a potato and the flavor really is mild. 

 

Swede or rutabaga as it is properly called is another vegetable I love to use in the winter months. Like celeriac it excels in soups and stews.  When I was a child we just called it turnip because that is what our mother called it.

They used to come coated in wax.  I have not seen them coated in wax for a very long time.

My mother would mash it together with potatoes and we would enjoy it that way.  It is a vegetable that I truly love.  A stew or pot of soup would not be the same without it in my opinion.  

 

Another vegetable I like to use in this is the humble parsnip.  You might look at them and think that looks like a rather anemic carrot! 

Whilst they come from the same family, they are not the same vegetable and this is not a carrot. They have a very distinct sweet flavor and are a member of the parsley family.  

They do go very well with carrots however and I also enjoy these in vegetable soups and in stews.   I also love them fried in butter.   You can find my recipe for butter fried parsnips here. 

Yes, I DO love root vegetables! 

 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A WINTER VEGETABLE GRATIN

I have made suggestions of which kinds of vegetables to use here, but you can use any combination of winter vegetables in the same quantity.

For the vegetables and sauce:

• 3 1/2 ounces (100g) celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (celery root)
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into coins
• 1 small parsnip, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into half moons
• 1/2 small swede (Rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) cream
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• salt and black pepper to taste

Dry mustard powder is an ingredient I always have in the house. It excels in sauces, especially cream and cheese sauces.

 

For the crumb topping:

• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 3 TBS fine cracker crumbs
• 2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or marjoram leaves 
• salt and black pepper to taste

 

HOW TO MAKE WINTER VEGETABLE GRATIN 

This is a really easy gratin to make. There is no faffing about with sauces or the like.  The hardest part is probably cutting the vegetables up, and that is not hard at all. 

Just try to make sure that they are as uniform in size as possible. Of course you are not going to get your carrots and parsnips in the same size as the other vegetables,  These are find sliced into coins and half moons. 

 

You begin by bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add all of your vegetables and cook them for 10 minutes.  You are only parboiling them, so don't be worried that they are not all the way cooked through.

They will finish cooking in the oven. 

 

While they are parboiling you want to heat together the cream, garlic and mustard powder. This is your sauce. Simple.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

You can also mix together all of the ingredients for your topping until they are well combined.

After ten minutes, drain your vegetables really well and spread them out into a 6 by 9 inch gratin dish, which has been buttered. 

 

Pour the cream mixture over top of the vegetables. They will not be drowning in it, but they are not supposed to. As it is the vegetables will absorb most of the cream while they are cooking in the oven.\

Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over top and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes at which time the vegetables should be the right consistency/texture.  The casserole will be golden brown in color and the cream should be bubbling around the edges.   

And that's it!  Done!  Such a simple dish but oh so tasty.  You can enjoy this with any variety of meat or protein on the side. Poultry, fish, red meats, etc.  Delicious.

It also makes a fabulous main course  for vegetarians.  You might be scrambling to know what to feed them. Double up on this and use it as a side for your omnivores and a side for your vegetarians.  Everybody's happy! 

Winter Vegetable Gratin

Yield: 2 as a main, 3 as a side

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min

This is a great way to use almost any combination of root vegetables. I don't recommend using beetroot as the color bleeds, but any other vegetable in the same quantities works well, and it is delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 ounces (100g) celeriac, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (celery root)
• 1 small carrot, peeled and cut into coins
• 1 small parsnip, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into half moons
• 1/2 small swede (Rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup (120ml) cream
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1 TBS butter, melted
• 3 TBS fine cracker crumbs
• 2 TBS finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp thyme or marjoram leaves
• salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 6 by 8 inch gratin dish. Set aside.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the vegetables and cook for 10 minutes. Drain well. Spread out in the buttered gratin dish.
3. Warm the cream together with the garlic and mustard powder. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Pour evenly over the vegetables in the dish.
4. Whisk together the butter, cracker crumbs, cheese, marjoram or thyme leaves, and season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper. Sprinkle this evenly over top of the casserole.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. The vegetables should be tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
6. Serve warm as a vegetarian main or as a side dish.

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