Ham, Asparagus and Potato Gratin
This is a comfort food we ate a lot during Covid. We were comforted.
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 c. low fat milk
2 lbs. red potatoes, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
8 oz. asparagus, trimmed, blanched, and cut into 1” pieces*
1 ½ C. diced ham
2 C. Gruyere, grated
¼ t. freshly grated nutmeg
½ C. Parmesan cheese
Chef’s Tip: *To blanch asparagus, after trimming ends, cook in boiling water for 2 minutes, then remove from boiling water and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and keep the vegetable tender-crisp
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 11” baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. In a small stockpot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened and beginning to brown.
3 Add milk, potatoes, garlic and bay leaves to the onions and bring just to a boil, stirring frequently and watching closely to avoid boiling the mixture over. When just boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Over a large bowl, strain the potato mixture, reserving 1 ½ cups of the milk. Discard bay leaves.
5. Arrange ½ of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle asparagus over the potatoes, then the ham, then the Gruyere. Arrange the rest of the potatoes over the top.
6. Add the nutmeg to the reserved milk, then pour the milk over the potatoes. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the potatoes to cover.
7. Cover the dish with foil. Cut 3 slits in the foils to allow steam to escape while cooking and place in oven for 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil from dish and return to oven for another 20 minutes or until cheese is beginning to brown. Let dish sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6-8