Sorrel And Potato Gratin Recipes

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a wide saucepan and cover with water. Add salt to taste and bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover partially and gently boil potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender all the way through but firm enough to slice. Drain, return the potatoes to the pan, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove from the pot and using a towel to grip the potatoes if they are too hot to handle, slice about 1/2 inch thick, or if you prefer, cut in dice. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile stem and wash sorrel leaves. Heat a wide skillet over high heat and add the sorrel, in batches if necessary. Stir until sorrel has wilted in the liquid left on the leaves after washing. The color will go from bright green to drab olive and the sorrel will melt down to what looks like a purée. Don't worry, it will be chopped and mixed with the other ingredients and you won't mind the color. When all of the sorrel has wilted, remove from heat and transfer to a strainer or a colander. Rinse briefly with cold water, then press or squeeze out excess liquid. Chop medium-fine. Transfer to bowl with the potatoes, toss together and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub sides and bottom of a 2- to 2 1/2-quart baking dish or gratin with the cut side of the garlic clove. Oil dish with olive oil. Mince remaining garlic and add to potatoes and sorrel.
• Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add salt to taste (I use about 1/2 teaspoon). Whisk in milk. Add to potatoes and sorrel and stir well to distribute sorrel evenly throughout the mixture. Stir in cheeses and freshly ground pepper, and scrape into the baking dish.
• Bake 45 minutes, or until set and the top and sides are nicely browned. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes or longer before serving.

Steps:

• Put the potato and onion slices in a saucepan and pour in two cups of water. Add one teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, shaking the pan to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom. Turn off the heat at the boil. Drain potatoes and onions but reserve the cooking liquid for later.
• Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a skillet, add the sorrel and cook for two minutes, wilting it into a puree. Mix in the cream and the remaining half-teaspoon salt. Cook for three minutes or longer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rub the baking dish with the remaining tablespoon of butter and scatter in the minced garlic.
• Put the potatoes and onions in a two-quart rectangular or oval baking dish 14 by 8 by 2 inches. Pour in the cooking liquid and spread the creamy sorrel on top.
• Bake in middle of the oven for an hour to an hour and a half or until potatoes are tender and golden on top.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees and place a rack at the middle level. In a large saucepan, combine onions and 2 tablespoons olive oil and stir to coat over low heat. Sprinkle lightly with salt. At a gentle simmer, cook uncovered until onions are softened and lightly golden, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary. When done, fold in tomatoes just until heated through. Set aside.
• In a small food processor or a mortar, add the anchovies - anywhere from 6 to 12 fillets, depending on their size and your taste. Add garlic, herbs and a dozen grinds of pepper. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil (or use the oil from the anchovy can, if you like). Crush or pulse together into a chunky paste, thinning with oil as needed to make a loose, fluid mixture.
• In a medium-size baking dish, spread a quarter of the onion-tomato mixture. On top, arrange half the potato slices, then half the anchovy mixture. Add half the remaining onion-tomato mixture. Build one more layer with remaining potato slices, anchovy mixture and onion-tomato mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil.
• If the dish is very full, place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and have absorbed all of the juices in the bottom of the dish, 40 to 50 minutes. Test by tasting a bit of potato; it should be soft all the way through, with no raw taste. If the top is browning too fast, cover very loosely with a sheet of foil. If the top is not brown enough when the potatoes are cooked, broil briefly until deliciously glazed.
• Serve gratin hot or warm. Can be cooled and reheated later the same day, but do not refrigerate.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and place rack in the center. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; set a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the chard leaves until tender, 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to the ice water. Squeeze them dry and chop roughly. Boil the diced stems until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and add to chopped chard leaves.
• In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream, garlic, shallot, thyme and bay leaf to a simmer. Cook until reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Strain out the solids and add the nutmeg.
• Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds with a mandoline or sharp knife. Butter a 12- to 14-inch gratin dish. Assemble the gratin by layering the ingredients in this order: a single, slightly overlapping layer of one-third of the potato slices, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, one-third of the Gruyère, half the Swiss chard and one-third of the reduced cream. Repeat once, and then top with one more layer of potato, salt and pepper, and the rest of the Gruyère and cream.
• Bake until the top is browned and the potatoes are fork-tender, about 45 minutes.