This is an easy, rustic recipe that makes a great vegetarian meal or a pretty side dish for summer or autumn. It's so simple: Yellow squash layered in a jumble with sliced red potato and goat cheese. No cream needed at all.
For this gratin, we didn't bother layering the vegetables in a pretty scalloped pattern. We practically threw the potato and squash slices in the pan, all mixed up together. Tastes the same, right?
The only complicated part is slicing the vegetables paper thin. We love our mandoline for this (they're not expensive, and we highly recommend one for so many dishes), but if you don't have one, you'll just need a bit more time and a very sharp knife.
There's not a ton of cheese and no cream (just a splash of milk to keep it tender), so the fresh taste of the vegetables is front and center. We sprinkled our gratin with basil at the end for a little color. It was a near-perfect dinner (and great leftover, FYI).
Tester's Notes
This classic and simple recipe from Elizabeth has always received rave reviews from our readers and commenters, and I finally had a chance to try it last week. I was shocked by how quickly it came together. I sliced up the squash and potatoes on my mandoline, just as Elizabeth advises, and jumbled them higgledy-piggledy in a casserole dish. When baked, they were tender and soft, but they still tasted vibrant and fresh — unlike vegetables in gratins that are swimming in cheese and cream. This was a keeper. I can hardly wait to make it again. - Faith
Potato, Squash, & Goat Cheese Gratin
serves six2 medium yellow squash, about 1/2 pound
4 small to medium red potatoes, about 1 pound
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces goat cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced basil or thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Use a mandoline or chef's knife to slice the squash and potatoes into very, very thin slices, 1/8-inch or less. Toss the sliced vegetables with the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl.
Place 1/3 of the squash and potato slices in the bottom of the dish — no need to layer them squash-potato-squash; just spread evenly — then season with salt and pepper. Top with half of the goat cheese, scattered evenly in large chunks. Repeat with another 1/3 of the vegetables, seasoning again with salt and pepper and topping with the other 1/2 of the goat cheese. Finish by layering on the final 1/3 of the vegetables and seasoning with salt and pepper.
Pour the milk over the entire dish. Top with the parmesan cheese. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until the top browns. Scatter on the fresh basil, if using.
Related: Recipe: Kale and Potato Gratin
(Originally published July 21, 2009)
(Images: Faith Durand; Elizabeth Passarella)
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Comments (42)
I am definitely going to make this recipe! It looks and sounds delicious.
God, that looks amazing.
This looked so good. I didn't have the ingredients to make it, though. I did manage to cobble together a sweet potato, and potato au gratin with sharp cheddar, though.
Yuuuuum!
I tried this last night for a dinner party- Oh. my. God. It was delicious! I upped the cheese a bit and used heavy cream (my milk was spoiled, it's all I had) divine! My guests were quite literally licking the pan. I'm going to make it again tomorrow- i barely got a bite!
I recently made a similar squash and potato gratin but used Gruyere instead of goat cheese. It was fantastic!
http://www.salmoncabin.com/2009/06/the-summer-squash-glut-begins.html
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good. I used half and half instead of milk. I served it with a salad dressed in vinaigrette. I will be making this for a family get-together I am having soon.
We've made this several times now, with local, artisan goat cheese. I have to say, I prefer fresh rosemary to the basil but it's definitely a personal choice.
I think I'm going to try this for a dinner party this weekend! Not sure what to serve with it though... Any ideas?
hey has anyone tried this with butternut squash? I am dying to try this... thx.
I made mine a little smoky/spicy with a sprinkle of smoked paprika on each layer. Turned out great!
This turned out AMAZING for a dinner party I'm having this evening, thanks so much for the recipe! Definitely going to become one of my standard bring-alongs;)
I am making this for Thanksgiving; looks heavenly!
I made this last night for dinner...we used it as the main dish. WOW is all we could say! I scrimped to save a little bit for my lunch today and I am slowly savoring the last bits of it as I type. I used half and half rather than milk, and added a little extra parmesan, and also used thyme instead of basil. Next time I plan to sprinkle a bit of lemon zest in one of the layers. We also decided it'd be tasty with a (very) thin layer of deli ham or prosciutto running through it...although you don't want to mess with something so good.
Definitely making this again!
I saw this picture and felt like I had seen an old flame in the airport. My heart sped up. My mouth watered. Tears almost came to my eyes. I. Love. This. Dish. Thanks for reminding me of how much.
I just caught a glimpse of this photo and knew immediately I had to have this dish. Wouldn't you know, I've got fresh garden potatoes and squash (well, one squash and one zucchini) in the fridge right now. Might have to sub another cheese for the goat, or make a stop at the market (one of the two!). Sounds like everyone has had a great experience with it!
How far ahead could I put the ingredients together (other than the milk, which I'd add right before putting it in the oven). I'm having my very first dinner party on July 4th (eek!) and I want to get as much done ahead of time as possible. Would the morning of be ok? Or better yet, the day before?
I'm wet behind the ears! Some knowledgeable person needs to give me guidance! :)
I'm trying this out tomorrow night for a small summer dinner party and wrestling with the similar question: what should accompany the dish? My first idea is thick slices of giant creole tomatoes topped with a splash of olive oil and kosher salt; the second would be for a salad that includes strawberries. Any other thoughts?
An update: this dish was a total hit. I was able to get all of the ingredients (aside from the goat cheese) at the farmer's market that same morning. It was flavorful, simple, and the perfect summer dinner. Also, I added thick slices of farm tomatoes to the plates, making the dish look and taste even better. For non-vegetarians, I can only wonder what magic might happen if you add bacon or smoked pancetta to the gratin. Lastly, regarding the post above (re: how much time ahead can you prepare)...I made this an hour before my guests arrived; two hours before we sat down for dinner. It sat foil-covered in my fridge for an hour and this had no effect on the cooking time or flavor.
Does anyone know if this would be good with thinly sliced onions? Or would I ruin it?
I think this recipe would work better if the potatoes were parboiled first. Had to put in back in the oven twice tonight to get the potatoes cooked thoroughly.
I made this with bacon and it was delicious! Disappeared within a few minutes at an Easter brunch party. I cooked the bacon in the microwave first, then sprinkled little pieces on top. Plan on making it again this weekend.
I made it last night and it was a hit with us and the guests. It was so easy to make too. I used half milk, half 15% cream.
YUM! I had a large zucchini from the garden, so I used that instead of yellow squash. I also added thinly sliced onion (to answer notmartha's question), and it was DELICIOUS! I swapped in queso blanco for goat cheese, as no matter how hard I try, I just do not love goat cheese. I also added some panko and dried rosemary in with the parmesan. It turned out wonderfully. I will for sure be making this again. We ate it with an apple-walnut-onion-cheddar salad with balsamic dressing. Perfect dinner.
This was totally delicious! We each had multiple servings and it was just so good--it's also very tasty as a cold leftover! I'm hosting a dinner in a couple weeks and I'm definitely going to make this again!
I've had yellow squash roaming all over my backyard for weeks and have been desperately searching for recipes to get rid of the stuff! This looked so good, I had to try it. It was pretty amazing. (Confession: I swapped cheddar for the goat cheese.)
I made this with russet potatoes, leeks, onions, and cheddar, as that was what I had. It was really, really good. I found that the potatoes were cooked perfectly, and I cut them at 1/8" on my mandolin.
I had trouble with this recipe as written. The potatoes took awhile to cook, even though I parboiled them and sliced them relatively thin. I think just 1/4 of milk ( I only had 1%) is not enough liquid. It didn't coat the potatoes and fell to the bottom of the pan. So, the potatoes on top were essentially roasting. Next time I will either use cream or make a roux, more like this recipe for zucchini au gratin written by Julia Childs. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=7040014
Delicious, especially as a savory breakfast the next morning! Used thyme instead of basil; cream instead of milk; baked for closer to an hour to compensate for not having a mandoline/patience to cut paper thin w/a knife.
I made this tonight for friends, as written—totally delightful! Only one problem: not quite enough for four as a main dish... I noticed the hungriest friend wistfully nibbling bits from the sides of the pan. But I think the quantities of veggies could be upped a little and that would help. We had it with a green salad with strawberries, and a marinated mozzarella appetizer with sourdough (from Mostly Foodstuffs). Baked peaches with cardamom ice cream for dessert.
I like the container bakeware in the potato squash and goat cheese au gratin any idea who makes it? Im not sure what its made of either where can I buy it
Made it and it's fantastic!! I used kohlrabi in place of the potatoes and couldn't tell the difference. I did use a mandoline which I think is crucial for gratins. I also tossed fresh thyme and oregano with the vegetables and oil. I used a flakey salt (maldons)
I'd also love to know where to find the casserole dish in the photo - it is beautiful.
This look delicious! I think I may add some eggplant to the mix.
I tried this recipe last summer (it was posted over 3 years ago). It didn't work too well for me, though it's possible I sliced the vegetables too thick; I also needed to leave it in the oven longer than stated to get it cooked through.
I was surprised to see this post today, though, as usually recipes aren't recycled unless it's in a round-up post...
I made this several times this summer and since I never commented, I will say it now...it is awesome.
You really need to slice the veggies thin, amelie1980. A mandoline is perfect for this task and this takes only minutes to put together.
I've been tempted by many recipes on is site but this one takes the cake! If I weren't 35 weeks prego (and on bed rest) I would have gone out purposely to buy these ingredients just to make this for dinner tonight!! Looks divine!
I could go for some of that right now; looks fantastic. This will definitely be made, and soon!
I made this last night with a garden salad to accompany it. It was a meal for two, and I think for more than 3 people the quantities would definitely need to be increased. I used Lebanese zucchinis in place of the squash, and sliced the veg by hand - no issues for me with cooking the veg through as mentioned by some others.
This will most certainly become a staple (especially party dish) for me, though I think adding in too much more may ruin the flavour. The goats cheese is fantastic, and other flavours I think would be best from accompanying dishes (this could easily be a side).
Thanks for the recipe!
Yum! I made this yesterday, along with a roasted tomato and red pepper soup and breadsticks. My husband and I loved it, though the soup ended up a bigger hit with our guests. With four people, and the extra sides, this was more than enough food, with a little left over for the next day.
Oh, and like some others, I used heavy whipping cream because I didn't have whole milk.
I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was absolutely delicious! It was light, fluffy, wonderfully flavored. I think the goat cheese was a fantastic addition and it totally makes up for the fact that this wasn't a traditional gratin covered with cream, egg, and other cheeses.
I actually reviewed it in my blog, so feel free to check it out for step-by-step pictures and commentary. http://www.2girlsandapin.com/2-girls-and-a-pin-potato-squash-and-goat-cheese-gratin/
Thanks for a great recipe!
Cheers,
Jelena
I substituted a purple potato for one of the reds and it made it even more attractive! I also added more parmesan and put it in with the goat cheese on each layer. For me it needed that extra sharpness. Great recipe!