Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Potato and Onion Gratin

Hi guys!  How was your weekend?  Ours was great!  We participated in a “Made in Nevada” Holiday Marketplace on Saturday.  “Made in Nevada” is an association you can join when your products, whatever they may be, are made in Nevada.  Duh.  I guess you probably could have figured that out for yourself.  We joined because we are, obviously, made in Nevada.

Anyhoo, the show was at The Flag Store in Sparks.  We got a ton of traffic, and I was able to sample my products for a lot of people.  I also sold a lot.  All in all, it was a super successful day.  We met some cool people too.  We had a booth next to the owner of Buckbean Beer.  That right there made the day worthwhile.  If you haven’t had their beer….you must try it.  And I am not even a beer fan.  But theirs is great!  The fact that we were next to Buckbean made Chris pretty happy too;)

I will probably be sticking to Holiday recipes for the remainder of the month.  I hope that is cool with you.  Even if it isn’t….I am still doing it.  Sorry.  Today I am going to show you how to make an amazing potato gratin that would be a great addition to any holiday table.  It is really easy to make, yet it seems so much fancier then your basic mashed potato, or even scalloped potato.  I combine regular white potatoes with sweet potatoes.  I know….fancy, right?


This recipe uses 2 regular white baking potatoes….the kind you buy in a 5 pound bag, usually.  I also used 3 sweet potatoes, Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread, butter, heavy cream, salt, pepper and Gruyere cheese.  Yep….it’s another healthy one;)

Ok, it is definitely not.  It’s Christmas.  Loosen up.

I started by slicing my potatoes crosswise, after I peeled them.  And by slicing, I mean I threw them in the food processor suing the slicing disk.  You can cut yours, just cut them on the thin side….about ¼ an inch.


I also heated up the cream in a small sauce pot.  I just warmed it a bit.

Let’s build this thing.


I buttered a casserole dish to start.  This is about 8 inches across.


I laid down a layer of sweet potatoes, slightly overlapping.  I also salted and peppered this layer.


I dotted a bit of butter all over this layer, about 1 tablespoon all together.  You can use less if you are feeling extra righteous.


I topped that with a couple of tablespoons of the warm cream.


On top of that goes a layer of white potatoes, and then about ½ a jar of Caramelized Onion spread.  If you can’t get this spread….you can sub in onions you have caramelized yourself.  It won’t be the same, but it will come close.


Then, another layer of sweet potatoes, butter and cream.


On top of the butter and cream, thrown on some Gruyere that has been grated.  Gruyere is a nutty Swiss-like cheese.  It is harder than Swiss, but similar in flavor.


One more layer of white potatoes, butter and cream……


Finally, the last layer of sweet potatoes.  Also, a bit more butter and cream.  Have you had a heart attack from all the butter and cream yet?


The whole thing gets topped with another layer of Gruyere, covered in foil and baked at 375 for one hour.  Then, I removed the foil and baked it for about 20 more minutes, or until the top was browned and bubbly.

Once it comes out of the oven, it needs to sit for another 20 minutes.  Not only is it as hot as the surface of the sun, it needs time to settle.  The cream will thicken as it sits.  So if it is soupy looking….let it sit!!


See how brown and gooey it is?  It is cheesy and delicious!!

My family loved this.  The sweet potatoes give it an extra depth of flavor that you don’t normally get in a gratin or scalloped potatoes.  And the onion spread pairs perfectly with the sweet potatoes.  Plus, what isn’t amazing when it has that much butter, cream and cheese in it?

I hope this recipe finds its way to your holiday table!  It is such an easy recipe….it really is just layering.  I will see you all on Thursday with a yummy Christmas salad!



Potato and Onion Gratin

2 white baking potatoes, peeled and sliced in ¼ inch disks

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in ¼ inch disks

5 tablespoons butter, divided

4 ounces Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

1 cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place cream in a small pot and warm over low heat.

Butter a large (about 8 inch across) casserole dish, using about 1 tablespoon of butter.  Layer sweet potatoes, evenly, covering the bottom of the dish.  Dot this layer with 1 tablespoon of butter and about 2 tablespoons of warmed cream.

Cover 1st with an even layer of white potato.  Spread onions over the top of this layer.  Cover with another layer of sweet potatoes.  Dot sweet potatoes with another tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of warmed cream.  Cover that with ½ cup of cheese.

On top of the cheese, lay down another layer of white potato.  Layer remaining ingredients, ending with cheese.  Cover casserole tightly with foil and bake at 375 for 1 hour.  Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes.  Let gratin sit for 20 minutes before serving.

Serves 8

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