Have you ever had dauphinoise potatoes and wished there was a bit more to them? Well, this recipe is for you!
INGREDIENTS
Cheat ‘Béchamel’ sauce:
Butter
Double cream
Crème Fraîche
Mustard
Root vegetables:
Sweet potato
Butternut squash
Other vegetables / pulses:
Rainbow chard
Leek
Butter beans
Cheeses:
Gruyère (or a vegetarian semi-hard cheese)
Pecorino (or a vegetarian Italian hard cheese)
Buffalo mozzarella (or a vegetarian mozzarella)
Aromatics, herbs and spices:
Red onion
Garlic
Thyme
Sage
Nutmeg
Garlic
TIPS
Honestly, this recipe is more time-consuming in the extent of prep required than it is technically difficult! I think it’s important not to overdo any of the pan-fried ingredients we’re adding to this dish; you only want them 2/3s of the way done, really, because they’ll finish cooking in the oven. I also don’t think you need to follow any particular order with these layers; just go with the vibes! Depending on the size of your vegetables, your quantities of each layer may differ slightly to mine. You will just want to ensure you layer in the sauce directly next to the sweet potato and butternut squash (I usea mix of both in each layer, rather than alternating), as this will help it cook. I also recommend using some of the mozzarella between the layers so it can melt in as everything cooks.
Veg-Packed Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Gratin
A gratin packed with nutrients and bright colours
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash (peeled, de-seeded and sliced)
- 1 sweet potato (peeled, sliced and halved into semi-circles)
- 200g of rainbow chard (roughly chopped)
- 400g (1 standard tin) of butter beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 leek (sliced as finely as possible)
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 2-3 cloves of garlic (minced / finely chopped)
- 40g of butter
- 300ml of double cream
- 150ml of crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp of mustard
- 1 spring of thyme (c.1-2g) (stem removed)
- 2 sprigs of sage (c. 1-2g) (finely chop half of this, de-stem the other half)
- 1 tsp of nutmeg (ground / grated)
- 40g of Gruyère (grated)
- 40g of Pecorino (finely grated)
- 125g of Buffalo Mozzarella (slice, if not already in pearls)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for cooking
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Add the sweet potato and butternut squash slices to an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper (use two oven dishes if needed to spread them out for an even cook), bake for 20 minutes
- Lightly pan fry the rainbow chard for 4-7 minutes over a medium heat with seasoning and olive oil until lightly steamed, set aside
- Over a medium heat, in olive oil, cook the onion and leek until softened for 5-10 minutes, season to taste and set aside
- Melt the butter over a medium heat, add the garlic and cook in your pan for a couple of minutes until fragrant, add the nutmeg and sage, whisk in the mustard, crème fraîche and double cream until smooth
- Gradually mix in the cheese until it melts, continually whisking and season the sauce to taste
- The sweet potato and butternut squash should now be ready to come out of the oven
- In one of your oven dishes, spread a layer of the sauce on the bottom and (without overlapping) add a layer of your butternut squash and sweet potato semi-circles, a layer of your leek and red onion mix, a little of the mozzarella on top of this, a layer of rainbow chard and sprinkle over some butter beans (adapt this as you see fit, the only ‘rule’ is to ensure you have a layer of sauce next to your sweet potato / butternut squash layers)
- The top can be finished off with the remaining mozzarella and the whole sage leaves
- Oven bake the gratin (covered with an oven dish lid or foil) for around 40 minutes, then remove the covering and then finish it under the grill at a medium heat for up to 10 minutes so the top layer of cheese goes golden and the sage crisps
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving
Let me know if you give this seasonal veg-packed gratin a try!
Check out how I assemble it here:
But First, Food 
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