Layers of carrots and parsnips, slowly baked in cream and cheese.
English settlers brought the parsnip to North America in the early 1600s but this creamy-white root has never become a favourite in this continent. And yet, it has many fine qualities: It has a pleasantly sweet flavour, especially after the first frost converts its starch to sugar; It can be prepared in several different ways; It is an excellent source of potassium and folic acid; And it is also inexpensive. I hope this recipe will make you appreciate its potential.
4 | carrots, sliced lengthwise into 3-4 mm thick slices | 400 g | |
3 | parsnips, sliced lengthwise into 3-4 mm thick slices | 280 g | |
5 cloves | garlic, pressed | ||
1 1/3 cup | cream 15% | 330 mL | |
1 pinch | salt [optional] | 0.2 g | |
ground pepper to taste [optional] | |||
190 g | Emmenthal cheese, or Gruyère | 2 1/4 cups | |
butter, unsalted, to grease the baking dish | |||
aluminum foil |
A mandolin will make slicing the vegetables easier.
This dish can be made a few days ahead and reheated before serving.
per 1 serving (280 g)
Amount % Daily Value |
Calories 390 |
Fat 25 g 39 % |
Saturated
15.7 g
78 % |
Cholesterol 80 mg |
Sodium 190 mg 8 % |
Carbohydrate 26 g 9 % |
Fibre 4 g 17 % |
Sugars 8 g |
Net Carbs 22 g |
Protein 17 g |
Vitamin A 130 % |
Vitamin C 29 % |
Calcium 46 % |
Iron 6 % |
Food Group | Exchanges |
---|---|
Starches | ½ |
Vegetables | 1 ½ |
Meat and Alternatives | 1 ½ |
Fats | 5 |
I've never made a gratin before so maybe I'm giving this recipe undue credit but this was the most amazing dish I've ever cooked! It only took a little over an hour to cook and the assembly is so quick I had no problem preparing it for a weeknight dinner. I used cheddar cheese (because it's what I had) and half and half instead of cream (to lighten the calories just a little) and it turned out great. This is truly dinner party worthy food.
This recipe is not one that I would make on a weeknight. Even though the preparation time was short, it took a long time to bake. After all the time it served as a side dish. I will say that it was tasty and a good complement to a salad.
I would give this recipe 6/5 if I could: Absolutely outstanding. Yes, it does take 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the oven. So what? The final result is well worth the wait.