Purple Potato Gratin

Helga Glaesel de Blandingseptiembre 27, 2011

This post is also available in ENGLISH (INGLÉS)

On one of my morning speedy runs through the grocery store, I noticed there were a few different fruit and vegetables available… I was so happy! We usually have the same old stuff… you know, the basic. But this time, I was able to get purple potatoes. I grabbed a few (I think it’s the first time I am able to contain myself and not buy too much of something) and brought them home not knowing what I was going to do with them.

It just so happens that Edith had also gotten some purple potatoes for herself, also happily browsing through recipes to prepare this new found vegetable among the boxes and baskets of the same boring stuff we usually find at the supermarket. I know, I know… I shouldn’t complain, we have mangoes, pineapples, papayas, bananas and what have you. But we don’t have BIG seasonal produce varieties, or 7 kinds of tomatoes you can find at say… Whole Foods. Sigh.

Now, to get down to the recipes. I found this great gratin potato recipe, which I adapted by mixing purple potatoes and regular potatoes. I would recommend that you add bacon. I din’t have any at home, but the original recipe did call for it.

Edith tried a recipe from Smitten Kitchen, and she sent me the pictures so I could show you guys how they turned out. You can find her recipe here.

Helga

Purple Potato Gratin

Recipe adapted from Eating Out Loud
Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
⅔ cup grated cheddar cheese
1 lbs purple potatoes, unpeeled and sliced thinly
1 lb regular potatoes, unpeeled and sliced thinly
1 cup sliced shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat oven at 350º
To make the gratin sauce place the butter into a small pan and melt. Add flour and stir to combine, cooking over medium heat for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese, when melted remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.
In a frying pan, add the olive oil and shallots. Saute until shallots are slightly brown and caramelized. Remove from the pan.
Grease a gratin dish or shallow baking dish. Add half of the sliced potatoes to the dish. Sprinkle the shallots over the potato layer. Add the remaining potato slices to the dish. Pour the gratin sauce over the top of the potatoes, spooning into any visible cracks and crevices. Top with Parmesan cheese. Place into the oven for 40 minutes.