Collard Green Gratin Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place ham on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until crisp, 20-25 minutes; let cool and break into pieces.
• Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet; toast over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and add thyme and 1/4 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Mix in ham and set aside.
• Cook collard greens in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. Drain, transfer to a bowl of ice water, and let cool. Drain and squeeze dry with paper towels. Coarsely chop greens and place in a large bowl.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to bowl with greens; set aside. Reserve saucepan.
• Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Melt butter in reserved saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth and very pale brown, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk, 1/2-cupful at a time; add nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until thickened, 5-8 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 cup Parmesan. Add béchamel to collard greens mixture and mix to combine; season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer collard greens mixture to a 10" cast-iron skillet or 9" pie dish and top with breadcrumb mixture; place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until gratin is bubbling, 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
• Do Ahead
• Ham and breadcrumb mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large saute pan, fry the bacon until half-cooked. Add the mushrooms and red onions and saute until the bacon is fully cooked and onions have softened. Increase the heat to high. Add the collard greens and cook until the greens are wilted. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside.
• In a separate pan, melt the butter and then add the flour. Cook, whisking frequently, to create a smooth, blond roux (this will take 3 to 4 minutes; do not brown, as the goal is just to remove the raw taste from the flour). Slowly add the cream while whisking and adjust the heat to keep the sauce at a simmer. Add the salt and pepper to taste (it should taste like a moderately salty cream gravy). Continue cooking until the sauce thickens and easily coats the back of a spoon.
• Butter an 8-by-12-inch casserole dish (or 8-to-10-cup capacity casserole). Combine the collard greens with cream sauce and transfer to the casserole. Top with the cheese and french-fried onions. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 2-quart gratin dish. Coat with bread crumbs and shake out excess.
• Place 6 whole garlic cloves in small saucepan and add water to cover. Heat to boiling, boil 1 minute, and drain. Heat about 1 inch fresh water in same pan to boiling. Add blanched garlic; reduce heat and simmer until garlic is tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer garlic to food processor or blender, add 1/4 cup half-and-half, and process until smooth. Transfer garlic cream to small bowl and reserve.
• Heat large saucepan of water to boiling. Salt water, add collard greens, and cook 2 minutes. Drain and let cool. Squeeze greens to remove excess liquid and coarsely chop.
• Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Mince remaining 2 cloves garlic. Add minxed garlic and shallots to skillet and cook until soft but not brown, 2-3 minutes longer.
• Whisk eggs, garlic cream, and remainin 1-1/4 cups half-and-half together in mixing bowl. Stir in greens mixture, Gruyere, and ham. Season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into prepared dish and sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Place dish in large baking pan and add enough boiling water to large pan to come halfway up sides of gratin dish. Bake until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving or let cool completely and serve at room temperature.