root vegetable gratin

Served at the Art of Song, June 4th 2010.

I adapted this from Food & Wine; you might have to make some small alterations to the recipe as I (of course) didn't record what I did the first time I made it.

Root Vegetable Gratin; adapted from this recipe.
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
1 butternut squash neck (2 1/4 pounds) from a large butternut squash, peeled
1 large golden beet, peeled
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
generous tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
generous tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
3 tablespoons AP flour
1/4 cup (or less) low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes and squash lengthwise 1/8 inch thick. Slice the beet crosswise 1/8 inch thick.
2. Grate cheese and combine in small bowl with salt, pepper, thyme, basil, garlic, and flour.
   
3. Grease an 8-by-12-inch glass baking dish with butter or olive oil. Arrange half of the potatoes in the dish, overlapping them slightly; drizzle with olive oil; season with cheese mixture. Top with half of the beets and the squash, oiling and seasoning each layer. Repeat the layering. Pour the broth over and around the vegetables.
4. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour, until the vegetables are almost tender when pierced. Remove the foil and bake for about 30 minutes longer, until the liquid has reduced.
5. Preheat the broiler. Mix the panko with the oil and season with salt and pepper; sprinkle over the gratin. Broil 3 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, until golden, rotating for even browning. Let the gratin stand for 10 minutes, then serve.

*Note: for the vegan version, just omit the cheese, increase the herbs (to your taste) and reduce the flour. If I had been feeling ambitious, I may have attempted a nut-based cheese...just a thought.

I doubled this, and I had a HUGE amount of vegetables left--I was eating sweet potato chips for days. Aside from an incredible surplus, everything else worked pretty well. The original recipe calls for rutabaga instead of beets, but the color of the golden beet is hard to...beat...they are so beautiful!