gratin

So I didn't make it to the Farmer's Market this weekend,  however I DID end up cooking with winter squash!  I decided to make butternut squash gratin (think potatoes au gratin -- if you grew up in the Midwest you know what I'm talking about). This was sort of a trial run for a potential Thanksgiving side dish.

Recipe --

Serves 2, but can easily be multipled to serve more.  If planning to do so, use a shallow casserol dish rather than the individual gratin dishes. 

1/4 medium butter nut squash, peeled and sliced very thin

1 tsp + 2 tbl butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 clove garlic, minced

salt + white pepper, to taste

pinch nutmeg

2 tbl parmesan

4 tbl bread crumbs

1 tsp minced fresh sage

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Peel and slice squash -- you want to make the slices as thin as possible (think potato chip thin).  Use enough squash to create 3-4 layers in the dish -- this could be more or less depending on the size of your squash.  Use 1 tsp of butter to grease the inside of the dish and lay slices flat.

Next, combine cream, garlic, salt, white pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.  Whisk together.  Note: be sure to salt liberally -- it should actually taste a bit salty -- as you won't be able to adjust seasoning later on. Pour cream mixture over squash until it is half way up the dish.  It's important not to over-fill the container.  Cover with a piece of parchment paper, then cover tightly again with foil.  If using small gratin dishes, set on a sheet pan before placing in the oven.  Bake for 35 - 40 min -- it is done when cream is bubbling and a skewer comes out clean when poked through squash.

While the gratin is cooking, melt 2 tbl of butter in a small saute pan.  Add bread crumbs, sage and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Toss until golden brown.

When done cooking, remove dish from the oven and preheat broiler. Uncover and top with shredded parmesan and bread crumb mixture.  Place under broiler until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are toasted.

The dish turned out REALLY good  (seriously, lick the plate good) and there's no doubt it's making its way onto the menu for Thursday...