Atonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer
Surprise your holiday dinner guests this season with a savory baked root vegetable medley. You will probably still make your family’s favorite traditional sweet potato casserole (it isn’t Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner without it, right?) but check out the other root vegetables available at the grocery store. Packed with nutrients and flavor, this cheesy gratin will make a nice new addition to your lineup of holiday side dishes. This recipe is also easy to customize to your taste. If you are not a fan of rutabagas or turnips, you can simply replace each vegetable (or both) with the same amount of butternut squash. Look for small to medium root vegetables. They are much easier to cut safely with a mandoline or sharp knife. When making the sauce, remember to use heavy cream, not half-and-half, whole milk, or low-fat milk. Keep the sauce warm while you slice the vegetables and assemble the gratin.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine cream, flour, salt, pepper, garlic, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook, stirring often, until hot and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes; do not boil. Reduce heat to low while assembling gratin.
Step 2
Thinly slice squash, turnips, and rutabaga into 1/4- to 1/8-inch-thick slices using a mandoline. Layer one-third of the vegetables in a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of the Gruyère. Repeat layers twice. Pour cream mixture over vegetables.
Step 3
Cover with foil; bake in preheated oven until bubbly, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Uncover, increase oven temperature to broil, and broil until top begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand at room temperature 10 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small skillet over medium. Working in small batches, fry sage leaves until edges begin to curl and leaves just begin to brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, and cool slightly. Arrange sage leaves over gratin before serving.
