Blue Plate Bachelor

One of my friends left town for the weekend, so she unloaded a bag of farmer’s market fresh veggies, including potatoes.

mmmm. potato-ey.

The halibut was very simple to prepare. I simply seasoned both sides of each steak with salt, pepper, and lime juice, then left them to come to room temperature while I prepared the potatoes.

Once the potatoes were done, I dusted the top of each steak with bread crumbs, and placed under the broiler for about 7 minutes, until the fish was just done and the top crispy and brown.

The fun part was the potato gratin:

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of white (boiling) potatoes, cut into thin 1/8 inch slices.
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and cut in half
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large (or 2 to 3 small) green onions chopped - keep the greens separate from the body of the onion
• approximately 4 Tb butter
• 1 cup of milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

• Shallow, wide fireproof baking dish (or cast-iron skillet) — the dish must be safe to use on the stove top, and safe to bake in
• Large bowl of cold water
• Small sauce pan

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450ºF.

As you slice your potatoes, drop the slices into the bowl of cold water. This will wash off a lot of excess starch, and keep your potatoes from getting all icky.

After all your potatoes are sliced, chop your onion and garlic. Cut one garlic clove in half. This will be used to season the baking dish. Once you have finished chopping onions and garlic, drain the potatoes and spread onto a dish towel. Pat dry with another towel. Using the towel to carry, dump the potatoes into a colander or bowl.

Season the baking dish by first rubbing the cut end of a halved garlic clove against the inside of the dish. Following this, spread about 1 Tb of butter in the baking dish. Be sure to butter the sides. Use your fingers!

Place one cup of milk into a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil over low heat, while you prepare the gratin.

Layer one half of the potatoes into the dish. Season with salt and pepper. Add the minced garlic, the white part of the chopped green onion, half of the remaining butter (cut into small pieces and spread evenly), and cover with half of the shredded cheese.

Layer the remaining half of the potatoes over the first layer, season again with salt and pepper, add the remaining butter in small pieces, spread the remaining cheese, and finally spread the remainder of the green onion on top.

By now the milk should be at a low boil. Carefully pour the milk into the gratin. Try to get it evenly distributed.

Once the milk has been added, put the baking dish over high heat on the stove, and bring the milk back up to a simmer. After the milk comes to a simmer, move the dish into the top third of your oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes (until golden brown on top and all the liquid has been absorbed by the potatoes).

This entry was posted Thursday, July 19th, 2007 at 9:11 pm and is filed under Food, Unhealthy Stuff. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.