Since this whole cooking thing is new to me, I rely very heavily on recipes. Especially ones that involve vegetables from our CSA.
And since our lovely CSA wants to keep us as happy customers, they send along recipes with each week's newsletter. Good thing because googling kale was getting old.
But...
What they don't send is cheese.
I don't think I have ever bought cheese that didn't come from behind a counter, named after city or quarterback name like Monterrey or Colby. Or shaken from a green can.
They really should consider putting cheese in alphabetical order in the *cheese* section for people like me. Good thing I knew enough not to look for Gruyère by the cream cheese & bags of pre-shreded orangey-yellow stuff.
But I still wanted to pronounce it Goon-yere. Yes, Matt, I now realize there is no "N" in Gruyère. Grew-yair.
Ok, on to the potato recipe. I made this last night for tonights dinner. In the midst of preparations, right after the potatoes came off the stove, our lovely *I* decided she wanted to fall out of her bed and need some Mama time. This actually turned out to be perfect timing. Because I learned something.
1. *I* much prefers my bed after a fall.
2. Potatoes don't crumble if you wait for them to cool before slicing. The first two sliced potatoes were crumbling all over the place pre-fall. The next sliced like a hot knife through cold buttah. Purfect.
So here is the wonderful recipe. It takes a lot of time, but well well worth it. We had it with a wonderful ham steak.
Greens and Potato Gratin
Recipe adapted from Martha RoseShulman’s recipe in the New York Times, March 8, 2010. Shared by Sarah M. & Enterprise Farms
Ingredients
2 - 2.5 pounds greens (chard, beet greens or kale), stemmed and cleaned (I used kale)
3/4 pound small potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup, tightly packed)
1 ounce Parmesan, grated (about 1/4 cup)
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375º. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish. Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water (you’ll be cooking the greens in the same water), and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover partially, and boil the potatoes until tender when pierced with a knife -- about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, stem the greens and wash the leaves thoroughly.
2. When the potatoes are done, remove from the water and set aside to cool; cut them into 1/2-inch slices. Bring the water back to a rolling boil, and add the greens. Blanch for about two minutes (three or four minutes for kale) until just tender. Remove from the water with a slotted
spoon and transfer immediately to a bowl of cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 –60 seconds. Stir in the greens, potatoes and parsley, and gently toss together. Season to taste with
salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. Stir in the Gruyère and Parmesan, and add more salt and pepper. Combine everything thoroughly.Adjust seasonings to taste. Scrape into the gratin dish. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the top, and place in the oven.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned on the top. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Serves about six people. Can be kept for up to three days, or made up to three days ahead.
The Tally....
NI per serving: 160cals/6g fat/3g fiber/10g protein
Cost: The whole pan - about $7.00
