Here is a simple, nourishing side-dish for fall: a light (no cream) gratin with shredded kale and potatoes. Our local farm has potatoes galore right now, and the kale is starting to be really delicious as the nights cool. This dish will take you into late fall/early winter and still be considered seasonal and local for those of us living in much of the northern hemisphere.
Kale and Potato Gratin
makes 6-8 servings
1 1/2 pounds thin-skinned boiling potatoes such as red potatoes
1 bunch kale
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Get a pot of water boiling large enough to accommodate the potatoes. Also prepare an ice bath.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes 1/4"-thick. Set aside. Remove and discard the spines from the kale then chop the remaining leaves in 1/2"-thick ribbons by stacking the leaves and slicing in the direction of the veins. This doesn't need to be exact, as long as you end up with a pile of roughly 1/2"-thick shreds of kale.
When the water is boiling, add a dash of salt and gently drop in the potatoes, cooking for about 2-3 minutes, until tender, but not cooked through. Drain and plunge into the ice bath. Drain again and dump onto a dish towel and blot.
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the kale and rub the olive oil mixture aggressively into the leaves. Layer the kale and potatoes alternately with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and Parmesan in a 9"x12" rectangular casserole or glass or ceramic baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes, until top is crispy.
In a 9"x12" glass or ceramic casserole/baker
I love this recipe and can't wait to try it; kale is one of those things that I hated as a kid, and now love. It is a comfort food for me-days when I miss my grandparents, I make kale, cornbread and iced tea. yum.
view Rndrc's profile
should the first ingredient be 1 1/2 POUNDS thin skinned boiling potatoes?
just checkin' :-)
view maryam's profile
maryam,
Thank you - indeed, 1 1/2 pounds!
view Sara Kate's profile
oh yum! what a simple dish - love kale and potatoes - have to be great together.
view houseno8's profile
Yum! I've done something similar with swiss chard and potatoes. I usually do pour a little bit of lowfat milk over it to make it saucier/creamier, and I usually grate a little sharp cheese (whatever is on hand) over it as well.
view jamimess's profile
just made this with dinner tonight and it was delicious! i did find it to be a tad salty and would likely cut back on the salt in the future to 1 tsp. overall though, simple and wonderful. thank you.
view universal mod's profile