Two-Tone Potato Gratin
I just got off the phone with my mom. Every year we go up to Northern California for Thanksgiving and every year we come up with a menu for the big day. While we could make the same thing year after year, we like to try new things. Of course we always have turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberries and potatoes but we like to give them a little twist. A couple years ago for example, I made a sweet potato casserole with cranberries that I absolutely loved, but this year I wanted to try something different.
There’s always so much food, I thought why not cut the meal by at least one dish. The question is what do you cut? Certainly not the turkey, gravy or stuffing. You obviously need a vegetable and you have to have dessert. So what’s left? Well, there’s always a potato and a sweet potato dish because some people like potatoes and some like yams. But why do you need both? I mean, they’re both potatoes, so why couldn’t you just put them together in one dish? Potato and sweet potato fans still get their side, but now they’re combined into one delicious side.
While mashing the potatoes together is a possibility, the flavors get muddled. So, the next best thing would be a gratin. That way you’ll get both flavors in one dish, only now the flavors will blend harmoniously. See, with each bite you’ll get either a white potato or a yam. Sometimes you may even get both.
But my favorite thing about this dish isn’t just the combining of the two potatoes. It’s the savoriness. See, this side isn’t just sweet. Thanks to the white potatoes, garlic, herbs and cheese, there’s a delightful savory quality to the side. A quality that fits in quite well with the rest of your Thanksgiving table. And with this dish, all of your guests can be happy: those that prefer sweet potatoes, those that prefer white and those that like both. I may prefer sweet potatoes over white, but I can’t get enough of this side, thanks to the creamy, cheesiness. It’s sooooo good, I may continue to make it for years and years to come… probably not, but it’ll definitely be in the rotation.
Notes
Adapted from My Magazine.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon each parsley, rosemary, thyme and sage
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or havarti cheese, divided
- 1 pound russet potatoes
- 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, butter a 2 quart casserole dish and set aside.
- Whisk together the cream, flour, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper and half the cheese in a large bowl and set aside.
- Peel and slice the potatoes thinly using a sharp knife or mandolin. Add the potatoes to the cream mixture and toss to coat. Pour the potatoes and cream mixture into the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until bubbly and browning. For the last 10 minutes of baking, top with the remaining cheese. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.
