Friday, August 25, 2006

Too much cheese? Never!

Often times I find myself in the kitchen prepping a meal that some people would consider a side, and serving it as a main dish by just increasing the portion size a bit. We have had quite a few tasty and filling dinners this way and tonight's gratin was no exception!

This creamy Potato-Gorgonzola Gratin has a more adult flavor to it coming from the choice of cheeses used. Thin slices of russet potatoes (I usually leave the skin on even if the recipe requests it to be peeled) are layered with a robust sauce made from plain soymilk (or milk if you prefer) thickened with a roux made from butter and flour. Pungent gorgonzola rounds out the body of the sauce with a creamy texture while fresh thyme adds a mild earthy flavor. As the sauce bubbles away making for tender potatoes, a golden crust with a sharp bite starts to form on top from fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. If you want a less pungent sauce, use a good melting cheese like fontina to keep the creaminess going. Since this takes a bit of time to cook, I hastened the prep time of the potatoes by using a food processor to make even 1/8" slices.

While these where baking, I threw together one of our favorite biscuit recipes and put them in the oven as soon as potatoes were done. By the time they were baked and golden, the gratin had cooled enough for us to cut and serve so we had fresh pipping hot biscuits to have along side.

5 comments:

  1. Gorgonzola...that is a bold stroke!

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  2. I've found that tarragon is a surprisingly good match with blue cheeses (Pierre Franey has a pasta recipe that features chicken, asparagus, blue cheese, and tarragon-- lots of big flavors that go together amazingly well)! I'd bet tarragon would substitute nicely for the thyme in this terrific gratin.

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  3. I LOVE gorgonzola. It's recipes like this that make me wish my husband liked it. I can sprinkle it on my salads, but can't make anything with it. This sounds really yummy.

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  4. Wow! That sounds spectacularly good. I'm putting this recipe aside for when the weather gets cooler.

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  5. Wheresmymind - It really shined here.

    J.bo - I'll have to remember to try that when we use a blue cheese next time!

    Cyndi - Jeff never liked it before, but I got him hooked now!

    Julie - This would be a perfect fall dish!

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