Rainbow Gratin.
Take your dauphinois potatoes to the next level by making this rainbow gratin! It’s straighforward (with the help of a mandoline) and looks super impressive too. Take your time with the infused cream as this is where the depth of flavour comes from.
Serves 6, as a side
Ingredients.
500g potatoes, peeled
500g beetroot, peeled
500g sweet potatoes, peeled
40g cheddar, grated
25g veggie parmesan, grated
10g butter, plus extra to grease the dish
Salt & pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh chives, a few tbsp to garnish (optional)
Infused Cream:
300ml double cream
200ml milk
3 garlic cloves, whole
3 bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
Equipment.
oven dish
small saucepan
sieve
mandoline OR sharp knife & chopping board
disposable gloves (not essential, but very useful when handling beetroot)
Method.
Preheat the oven to 200c
Add all the ingredients for the infused cream to a small saucepan. Simmer on a medium heat for 10mins, stirring continuously, then remove from the heat and leave to further infuse whilst you prepare the vegetables
Slice the vegetables to roughly 4mm thick using a mandoline/slicer, and place the slices in 3 separate bowls (to keep the colours separate). If you don’t have a mandoline you could use a sharp knife, but it’s important to make the slices as even as possible to ensure it cooks evenly
Sieve the infused cream into a jug, and distribute it between the 3 bowls of sliced vegetables. Toss the vegetables to ensure they are all thoroughly coated in the cream, then butter the ovenproof dish generously
Stack the slices of potato on top of each other then lay the stack on its side along one edge of the dish. Tilt the slices diagonally slightly until they fill the full length of the dish, end to end.
Repeat with the sweet potato slices, but tilting them in the opposite direction to achieve a zig-zag pattern
Finally, repeat this with the beetroot slices, being careful not to drip the pink juice over the other vegetables
Pour any remaining cream from the bowls over the respective vegetables, and cover the whole dish with tin foil. Bake for 45 mins
After 45mins, remove the foil and cover with grated cheddar & parmesan. Dot with butter and return to the oven (uncovered) for 20-25 mins until golden and the vegetables are completely cooked through
Top with fresh chives and leave to rest for 5 mins before serving
