3 Potato Gratin With Rosemary, Parm and Gouda

You know how the experts say we first eat with our eyes? Here's a dish that's as delicious to those baby blues (or browns or hazels....) as it is to the palate. Three varieties of potatoes - Japanese sweet potatoes, Garnet sweet potatoes, and Yukon golds, fresh rosemary and garlic infused cream, melty gouda and sharp and tangy real parmigiano reggiano all meld together in the oven to become one satisfying and comforting side dish to delight both company and family.


If you have the time, arrange the potatoes into stripes like I did for a recent dinner. If there isn't time for that nonsense, just jumble up the potatoes and get on with it! Without further adieu, here's the recipe.

3 Potato Gratin With Rosemary, Parm and Gouda

• 2 Japanese sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (I used the slicing blade of my food processor for ALL the potatoes to cut prep time)
• 2 garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 C heavy cream
• 1/2 stick of butter (1/4 C)
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the flat side of a knife blade
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 C gouda cheese, shredded
• 1/2 C Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a large gratin dish or a large, shallow baking dish. 

In a medium, heavy bottomed pot, combine cream, garlic and rosemary and bring the mixture to a simmer; simmer for 5 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside while you assemble the dish.

To make it the pretty, striped way, arrange the potatoes in alternate stripes in the dish; to make it the easy way, just toss the potatoes together as you peel and slice them and it will still be pretty...win/win!

Potatoes arranged the pretty way...the whitest potatoes are the Japanese sweet potatoes!

Make a layer of potatoes, sprinkle with gouda, salt & pepper. Make another layer of potatoes, sprinkle with parm and pepper (parm is salty, so I don't use salt on the parm layers), make a third layer, sprinkle with pepper and parm and then pour the cream mixture through a strainer over the top of the potatoes. The strainer keeps the big chunks of garlic and rosemary pieces from going into the casserole.

Bake at 400 for half an hour. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees, cover the dish with foil and bake until browned and tender all the way through and the cream has been absorbed by the potatoes - maybe another half an hour. Remove foil and serve. Don't be surprised if you're asked to make this ALL the time!

Mushroom Broccoli Alfredo Mac n Cheese

Hello! It's that time of year again when some of us are scrambling to come up with meatless meals that won't bore the family. Fish sandwiches, mac n cheese, tuna  casserole...they've been done to death by now. And there's still almost a month of Fridays left to meatless meal planning! Uh oh.

One of the best things about the Lenten season is that fish and seafood are more plentiful, and therefore more reasonably priced, than other times of year. If you're a fish and seafood lover (and I am!), now is the time to take advantage of the bargains out there, folks. There are always great sales on things that swim during Lent...even at Whole Foods!

How about a little change up that turns the same old mac & cheese into an alfredo-style mushroom and broccoli meatless meal? One that will be a brand new Friday family fave? 

Instead of cheddar, a sauce of smooth, creamy fontina, subtle smoked gouda and a little parmigiana regianno set off with a sweet touch of garlic, LOTS of earthy mushrooms and just a little bright green broccoli. Baked in a gratin dish until the top is golden, just a simple salad and some good bread makes a Meatless Friday (OR Monday!) into a dinner sure to be repeated even when it isn't Lent.

Ready? Go!

Mushroom Broccoli Alfredo Mac n Cheese

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups milk
• 2 1/2 cups fontina cheese, shredded - approx. 1/2 lb.
• 2 cups smoked gouda cheese, shredded - approx. 1/2 lb.
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated

• 1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente, drained - Gluten-free penne to make this GF, my fave is BiAglut!

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced - I like the package of baby bellas, oyster and shitakes!
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets

Mix the cheeses together in a large bowl until well combined. Reserve a cup of the mixed cheeses. In a saucepan, melt 3 T. butter, add the cornstarch and cook for a minute. Gradually whisk the milk into the cornstarch mixture. When the sauce has thickened, gradually add the bowl of grated cheeses, constantly whisking until the sauce is smooth. Set aside.
 
In a skillet, melt 2 T. butter and add the minced garlic and sliced mushrooms. Stir until the garlic is translucent and the mushrooms are tender. Set aside.
 
Have the cooked pasta waiting in a large bowl. Pour the cheese sauce over the top, add the mushroom mixture and the broccoli florets. Mix well and pour into a large, buttered gratin dish. Top with the reserved cheeses.
 
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden.

Chorizo, Poblano & Smoked Gouda Breakfast Strata

Merry Christmas!  

Here's a quick little post for today's quick and easy breakfast casserole. We put together a strata last night to just pop into the oven this morning...no fuss whatsover on this busy and bustling morning.   

Of course, we added a Christmas-y red Bloody Mary to start off the day right.  Cheers!
   

Chorizo, Poblano & Smoked Gouda Breakfast Strata

• 2 chorizo links, removed from casing, crumbled and fried.  Drain and set aside.
• 1 large red bell pepper, roasted or grilled until blackened all over, popped into a plastic container immediately.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes.  Rub off the blackened peel, remove seeds and cut into 1/4" dice. Reserve 2 T. for garnish.
• 2 large poblano peppers, roast as above & pop into the same plastic container.  After removing skin & seeds, sliver.  Reserve several slivers for garnish.
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, Toast in a little olive oil in a very hot skillet until beginning to brown.  Remove.
• 7 ounces gouda cheese, be sure it's SMOKED gouda.  Shred.
• 8 slices white bread, gluten-free to make this GF (I used Whole Foods Light White) or a good French bread or challah if you're not dealing with GF issues

• 6 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, plus extra to grease casserole dish

• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for garnish

Beat the eggs and milk together.
 
In a buttered 2 1/2 quart oval shallow casserole dish (or equivalent), layer half the bread, half the mixed poblanos and red pepper, half the corn and 2/3 of the smoked gouda. Add the rest of the bread, the peppers, the corn, the last of the smoked gouda and top with the crumbled chorizo.
 
Pour the egg mixture evenly and slowly over the top.  Cover with saran wrap or if you have a lid for the dish, use that - I did.  (Love that CorningWare French White baking stuff!) Refrigerate overnight.
 
The next morning, set oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the casserole for an hour or until the casserole is puffed, browned and beautiful.  Top with the shredded cheddar, bake another 10 minutes and remove.  Let stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.  Garnish with the reserved red and poblano peppers.  Serve!
 
This is easy to cut in half.  Use half of everything and make it in a 1 1/2 quart oval shallow casserole dish.  This is the smaller of the set of 2 CorningWare French White set.  The 2 1/2 quart size is the larger of the 2. 

Smoky Poblano & Habenero 3-Cheese Macaroni

Who doesn't love mac n cheese for dinner?!  Most of us crave it...guiltily for most of us.  Not gonna lie, it isn't the best thing for your hips, yet our taste buds have fallen in love with the creamy, cheesey goodness that makes this traditional comfort food everyone's hands-down favorite.

Just for the record, "blue box" macaroni and cheese is NOT the old-time-y traditional version!  Too many kids have grown up without knowing the joys of REAL, from-scratch mac n cheese!  It isn't difficult, either. Boil the pasta, make a white sauce, add some cheese, mix them together, bake and voila!  Dinner is served. 

This version of the basic recipe uses roasted poblanos, smoked gouda, Cabot hot habenero cheddar and just a touch of fresh tomatoes combined into one of Mark's new faves.  If you like heat, you'll love this!  Smoked gouda added a bacon-y flavor, yet it's still a meatless dish that would be perfect to serve on Meatless Mondays or to some very lucky vegetarian friends.  


When it comes to the kiddies, though, this might not be the homemade version to start with....it has a KICK!  Cabot Hot Habanero Cheddar Cheese may be over the top for little ones...and some big ones, too.  If you like your heat toned down just a little, simply use a milder hot pepper cheese...pepper jack would work just fine.  Or use all sharp cheddar & smoked gouda.  I won't mind at all.

Usually, I only make macaroni and cheese once a year.  My hips requested the sensible restriction, but my tastebuds (and Mark!) demanded otherwise. So I caved in and made macaroni and cheese TWICE this year!  Oops.  (The last mac & cheese post was Smoky Bacon & Beer, Gouda & Cheddar Mac and Cheese.)   

Have your tastebuds apologize to your hips and make this...your hips may forgive you eventually.  Here's the newest guilty favorite mac & cheese....enjoy!

 Smoky Poblano & Habenero 3-Cheese Macaroni

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch - check to be sure it's gluten-free to make this GF
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups milk, I use skim, use what you like...there's so much cheese, it doesn't make a difference

• 4 cups smoked gouda cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Cabot Hot Habanero Cheddar or a milder pepperjack, if you prefer
• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked al dente, gluten-free to make this GF (the best is BiAglut)
• 3 large poblano peppers, blackened, peeled, seeds removed, sliced
• 1 tomato, seeds squeezed out & diced
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 
In a saucepan, melt the butter and gradually add the cornstarch while whisking.  When smooth, add salt & pepper.  Gradually add milk, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens.  Add the cheeses slowly, whisking constantly.  

When the sauce is almost smooth (completely smooth isn't necessary), remove from heat and add to the cooked pasta.  Stir until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.
 
Butter the inside of a large casserole dish.  Layer half of the macaroni mixture in the bottom.  Set aside a few strips of pepper and a few pieces of tomato for garnish.  Dice the remaining poblano and scatter that and the tomatoes on top of the layer of mac & cheese.  Sprinkle with granulated garlic.  

Poblanos & tomatoes top the 1st layer of mac & cheese.

Top the veggies with the remaining mac & cheese, cover with shredded cheddar and arrange the remaining poblano strips and diced tomatoes on top.
 
Bake for 30-45 minutes and serve.