Root Vegetable Gratin

This would be great in the fall but I decided to make this today because I had some nice turnip and rutabaga that needed to be used up. Since root vegetables can vary in size just try to use approximately the same volume of each vegetable except maybe the potatoes ... you could go with a bit more of those if you like, using the others to add interest and to offset the taste of the potatoes. Basically you need enough to fill an 9x13 casserole dish or whatever sized dish you are using (scaling the sauce as needed) to about 3/4 full. You can use any combination of root vegetables you have on hand, I use all those listed but let your own taste and availability dictate what you use ... this recipe is flexible. I didn't have regular cream so I used 1 cup chicken broth, 1 cup half and half and an extra 1/4 whipping cream to make up the liquid volume and to simulate an 18% cream. You could probably just use half and half for this but I always like to stick as close top the original recipe as possible the first time I make anything.

I've now had a chance to taste this and I am pleased to report this is a winner :) The taste is a bit different from the ordinary but it went REALLY well with my herbed chicken breast ... so much so in fact I decided to make the allotted portion size a bit bigger than I initially thought. I reduced the servings from 8 to 5 thereby increasing the individual portions by almost 2. It was totally worth it although not exactly a low calorie side. Totally 4 forks yummy in my book.

UPDATE: Assuming an initial weight of 200g (about the size of a medium Russet potato) for most of the root vegetables except the carrot and parsnip (each about 100 g for a extra large carrot/parsnip ) this came to just under 300 calories per serving (based on 5 servings). I initially thought this would make 8 servings and I suppose it still could but I liked it so much  I found my initial serving to be too small ... of course I didn't have anything else to go with my chicken breast so I guess I needed a bit more in any case ... if you happened to also serve another side of veggies with your main ... say green beans, this could easily stretch to 8 servings at 186 calories per serving. Full nutritional details can be found here: Nutritional Details for Root vegetable Gratin

My entire meal of a herbed chicken breast sauteed in some olive oil/butter with a generous side of root vegetable gratin came in a slightly more than 600 calories. Not bad for a main dinner meal but I did get the impression that this could actually benefit from a little less fat, so next time I will use half and half instead of full coffee (18%) cream and I might even reduce the butter by half as well.

Definitely on my list to make again ... a bit of a different taste sensation but delicious none the less :)

Ingredients:

• 1 small Rutabaga, peeled
• 1 Celery Root, peeled
• 1 small Turnip, peeled
• 1 (or 2) large Russet Potato, washed, skin on
• 1 large Parsnip, peeled
• 1 large Carrots, peeled
• 2 tsp olive oil (extra virgin if you have it)
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 3-5 Garlic cloves, minced (to taste - after making mine heavy on the garlic, I'd have to say, 5 was quite strong, so unless you are a big garlic fan, like I am, 2-3 might be more to your liking)
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme, mince or 1 tsp dry
• 1.25 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup cream
• 2 tsp flour
• pinch salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut all vegetable into thin slices using a mandolin. Store in water after slicing to prevent oxidation.
2. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and carefully add vegetables. Par boil for 3 minutes then remove and drain no need to rinse.
3. Add 2 tsp olive oil to the bottom of a 9x13" casserole and spread. This is not just to prevent sticking, it is a flavour component so I like to use the good stuff (extra virgin) then pour all the par boiled vegetables into the dish and gently even them out.
4. Next in a small saucepan melt butter and add minced garlic and slowly raise the temperature. Heat until the garlic JUST begins to sizzle then add flour and cook 30 seconds or so before adding cream to cool everything down. You don't want to brown the garlic.
5. Grate in a pinch of nutmeg and add another pinch of cayenne (to taste) and thyme and bring to a simmer and a pinch of salt to taste.
6. As soon as it simmers, remove from heat and pour over vegetables. Gently shake and tap the casserole on the counter to distribute the sauce throughout.
7. Grate a little real Parmesan cheese on top and loosely cover with foil
8. Bake @ 375' for 40 minutes then uncover, grate a little more Parmesan over to allow for slight browning of the cheese and bake UNCOVERED for another 20-30 minutes or until golden, bubbling and when tested with a paring knife all vegetables are tender. Times depend somewhat on the size of your casserole.
9. Let sit for 15-20 minutes to rest after taking out of the oven before serving.