Great Casserole Dishes

Cooking a casserole dish is such a relief when you have to prepare several dishes for a party. Its so convenient because you prepare it ahead of time and just throw it in the oven or leave it on the stove. Most often casserole dishes tastes better a day or more after it was cooked.

This recipe is easy to make, delicious, and filling. I love to serve it with a nice roasted herb chicken and a green salad. The entire meal could be prepared ahead of time. Just throw it in the oven with enough time before serving.

Potato Cauliflower Gratin


Ingredients:

1 kilo medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1/2 kilo cauliflowers broken up
1 cup (packed) grated Gruyere or Cheddar cheese (about 4 oz)
1/4 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz)
2 cups Milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp garlic minced
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F (unless preparing in advance).

1 Put potatoes in a large saucepan. Add enough water and sprinkle a little salt. Bring water to boil. Let it simmer until potatoes are almost tender, then stir in cauliflower let it boil for 3 mins and drain potato cauliflower mixture well.

2 Season potato and cauliflower with a little salt, white pepper and a little olive oil and toss. Arrange potato-cauliflower mixture in 11x7 inch glass baking dish.

3 In a saucepan, heat butter and olive oil over medium fire. Saute garlic but do not brown. Add flour and stir constantly for at least 30 seconds. Add warm milk a little at a time. Stir constantly with a wire whisk making sure everything is incorporated into a smooth paste before adding more milk or else it would be difficult to remove lumps later. As soon as the last portion of the milk is added and the sauce has thickened enough, add half of the Gruyere or Cheddar cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese into the mixture. Continue the stirring. Add chopped parsley.

4. Pour white cheese sauce over potato-cauliflower in the the baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Can be prepared 8 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate.)

4 Bake gratin uncovered in 400°F oven until cream thickens, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Broil gratin until top is golden, about 2 minutes.

Serves 6.