Prep time: 25 mins, cook 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 4-6
This gratin is a meal in itself and is great served with a crisp green salad and crusty bread. You can cook in advance if you like, then add the breadcrumb topping and warm it through just before serving.
- 1 bunch silverbeet (about 850 gm), trimmed, half the stalks reserved.
- 50ml olive oil
- 80gm butter, coarsely chopped
- 1 leek, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2kg waxy potatoes, such as kipflers
- 800ml pouring cream
- 80gm coarse fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 tsp thyme
- Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
TO SERVE: Crisp green salad and crusty bread
Preheat oven to 180C. Coarsely chop silverbeet leaves and thinly slice the reserved stalks, and set aside separately.
Heat oil and 20gm butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming, add leek, silverbeet stalks and two thirds of the garlic and stir occasionally until tender (3-4 minutes). Add silverbeet leaves, stir occasionally until tender and wilted (2-3 minutes), season to taste, then transfer to a colander to drain excess liquid.
Meanwhile, thinly slice potato on a mandolin, combine in a bowl with cream to prevent discolouring, season to taste and set aside.
Spread silverbeet mixture in the base of a buttered 2-litre baking dish, then arrange potato in overlapping layers on top, seasoning well as you go. Pour over enough cream to just cover, dot with 20gm butter, place on a baking tray and bake until bubbling and golden around the edges (45-50 minutes).
Meanwhile, melt remaining butter combine in a bowl with breadcrumbs, thyme and rind, season to taste. Scatter over gratin, bake until crumbs are golden and potato is tender when pierced with a skewer (8-10 minutes. Serve hot with a crisp green salad and crusty bread.
This recipe is from Gourmet Traveller – The French Issue July 2011
