Potato, Kūmara and Spinach Gratin

, from Issue #108. March, 2023
Potato, Kūmara and Spinach Gratin

Layers of meltingly tender vegetables are always a crowd-pleaser and it's a very easy recipe to put together. 

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

150 grams spinach, tough stems removed
200ml crème fraîche
½ cup milk
½ cup cream
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
2 teaspoons very finely chopped rosemary or thyme
750 grams Agria potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
750 grams orange kūmara, peeled and sliced
1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese
sea salt and ground pepper

Equipment
5 cup-capacity baking dish

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan bake.

Put the spinach in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Turn to wilt, then drain and refresh in cold water. Place on a clean tea towel and roll up to remove excess water. Chop roughly. 

Whisk the crème fraîche, milk, cream, garlic, mustard and the rosemary or thyme together in a large bowl and season generously. Add the potatoes and kūmara and turn to coat all the slices. Arrange the vegetables in the baking dish and scrape all the cream mixture left in the bowl over the top. Tuck in the spinach. Cover the top with a piece of baking paper then cover the dish tightly with foil.

Place on a baking tray and cook for 1 hour then uncover and scatter over the cheese. Continue cooking until the vegetables are meltingly tender and the top is golden, about 30 minutes.