Awhile back my roommates and I were hanging out, and I decided to whip up this potato and apple gratin for brunch. It kind of made a nice snack-- it was enough for I believe the four of us to have some. Vicky and I went back for more. I had mine with a fried egg, for extra protein. I gotta say, this was a pretty tasty treat. It wasn't difficult to make--it'd be much simpler with a mandolin, but even with a knife it's just slicing the potatoes/apples thin, layering, and topping with tasty cream and cheese.I actually have a french cookbook that I rarely cook out of. I've made a few recipes out of it, and there's a potato au gratin in that. I think I have actually made it-- and this isn't the first time I made potato gratin. Though I can't tell you when else I made it (maybe Thanksgiving one year? Or Christmas?).
Growing up my mom would buy potatoes au gratin in the box in the store. Yeah, you know the kind. Little red box. Potatoes in it, you just pour them in a pan and sprinkle the stuff over it. You know, making your own potatoes isn't that much more difficult. Heck, it might even be easier. And tastier. I encourage everyone to make potatoes au gratin from home and not from a super lame box mix. Unless you really like the box mix and have a love affair with it, like I do with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Which is what I had for brunch today. Hah.
Anywho, check out this recipe, try it, maybe have it for breakfast with some eggs (heck, potatoes and apples and eggs, what's not to love?).
1 large apple (I believe I used Honeycrisp, nomnom)
1 large white potato
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
rosemary, crushed or chopped
Oven at 375 Fahrenheit.
Thinly slice the potatoes and place in a large bowl of water to remove the excess starches. Thinly slice the apples and reserve. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet to evenly coat the bottoms and sides. Alternate slices of apple and potato in the skillet until the bottom is covered. Continue layering until finished. Pour the heavy cream, rosemary, salt, and pepper on top, then coat with cheddar cheese (use extra if you want it extra cheesy, like I did). Cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender and bubbling. Remove the foil and cook until the cheese is golden brown. Serve warm.
Comments
It's funny that you say it's easy though - I always thought that doing something like this must be incredibly labor intensive, otherwise they wouldn't put it in a box! And since I tend to avoid the boxes like the plague, I just haven't had this in entirely too long. Now maybe I'll give it a shot!