Pumpkin & Potato Gratin
Featured in Season 3, Episode 2
Cook time: Approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 medium baking pumpkin, such as Long Island Cheese
- 6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
- 3 cups cream
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbs grated onion
- 1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
- kosher salt
- black pepper
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Pour the cream into a small pot and place over medium-low heat. Warm the cream until it is very hot but just shy of simmering. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, onion, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, ½ tsp kosher salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper into the cream. Cover and allow the cream to steep with the aromatics while you prepare the pumpkin and potatoes.
To break down the pumpkin, begin by slicing off a thin piece along one side, creating a flat surface. Turn the pumpkin onto that flat surface and slice off a thin layer of the bottom of the pumpkin, making another flat surface on the base of the pumpkin. Trim off the skin of the pumpkin, removing from all sides, and then cut the pumpkin in half, scooping out and discarding the seeds, removing as much pulp as possible. Slice each pumpkin half into three equal size pieces that are manageable to grasp and will make slicing them very thinly easier. Using a mandoline or a knife, slice both the pumpkin and the potatoes as thinly as possible, around 1/8th of an inch in thickness. The shape of each slice may vary slightly, but what is most important is that the slices of potato and the pumpkin are of an equal thickness so they cook evenly.
Using a casserole dish, cover the base with a layer of potato or a layer of pumpkin, or a mix of both. Feel free to get creative with your design here, the most important part is to make sure each layer is full, leaving as few holes or open areas as possible. After the first layer is in place, sprinkle with 2 tbs of parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Continue layering the potato and pumpkin, seasoning each layer with parmesan, salt and pepper, until all the vegetables are gone. Remove the rosemary and thyme from the cream and carefully pour over the whole casserole. Finish with a very generous shower of parmesan cheese as well as a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves. Bake, uncovered, for about one hour, until a knife slides easily through the center of the casserole and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.