Potato And Chard Stalk Gratin Food

POTATO AND SWISS CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and place rack in the center. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; set a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the chard leaves until tender, 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Squeeze them dry and chop roughly. Boil the diced stems until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and add to chopped chard leaves.
• In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream, garlic, shallot, thyme and bay leaf to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Strain out the solids and add the nutmeg.
• Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds with a mandoline or sharp knife. Butter a 12- to 14-inch gratin dish. Assemble the gratin by layering the ingredients in this order: a single, slightly overlapping layer of one-third of the potato slices, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, one-third of the Gruyère, half the Swiss chard and one-third of the reduced cream. Repeat once, and then top with one more layer of potato, salt and pepper, and the rest of the Gruyère and cream.
• Bake until the top is browned and the potatoes are fork-tender, about 45 minutes.

POTATO AND CHARD STALK GRATIN

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and boil gently until tender, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Add the chard stalks to the pot, and simmer for another five minutes until crisp-tender. Drain, and retain the cooking liquid if you prefer to use it instead of milk for the béchamel. Cut the potatoes into quarters or halves, depending on their size.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub a 2-quart baking dish or gratin with the cut clove of garlic, and brush with olive oil.
• Make the béchamel. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallot or onion, and cook, stirring, until softened, about three minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring, for about three minutes until smooth and bubbling but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once, and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and has lost its raw flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Strain while hot into a heatproof bowl or a Pyrex measuring cup.
• Cut the potatoes into quarters or halves, depending on their size. Combine with the chard stalks and thyme in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the béchamel, and stir until the vegetables are coated with sauce. Scrape into the gratin dish. Sprinkle the Gruyère on top.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling and beginning to brown on the top. Serve hot.

POTATOES AND CARROTS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• In a greased 2-qt. casserole, place potatoes, carrots, green pepper and onion. Combine half the cheese and remaining ingredients. Pour over vegetables; gently toss. Bake at 350°, covered, 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Top with remaining cheese; bake, uncovered, 10-15 minutes more.

SWISS CHARD AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with cold salted water, and add the whole peeled potatoes. Bring to a simmer, and cook the potatoes about halfway, about 15 minutes. Add the shredded chard, and cook until the leaves are very tender, 15 minutes or more, depending on the size. Drain well in a colander.
• Wipe out the pot, and return it to the stovetop. Pour 1/3 cup of the olive oil and the crushed garlic into the pot set over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is light golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Slice in the butter; once it has melted, add the drained potatoes and chard. Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Mash coarsely with a potato masher. Let cook a few minutes to remove any excess liquid, stir in the almonds, and serve hot.
• note
• If you buy young Swiss chard, cook the stems and leaves all at the same time. If you buy Swiss chard with larger leaves and stalks, trim the stems from the leaves and cook them for 10 minutes before adding the leaves.

CHEESY CHARD GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Strip the chard leaves from the stalks, then cut the stalks into sticks. Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the stalks for 3-4 mins until starting to soften. Then throw in the leaves for a few moments too so that they just wilt. Drain well.
• Mix the cream with the mustard, then toss through the chard with most of the gruyère. Grease a medium gratin dish, spread the chard mix over, then scatter with the remaining gruyère and the parmesan. Bake for 30 mins until bubbling and golden. Serve straight from the dish.