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Root Vegetable Gratin with Creamy Carrot Butter

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Root Vegetable Gratin with Creamy Carrot Butter

Roberta Reynolds
Think potato gratin but with a whole new personality. With this gratin, we layer buttery Yukon Gold potatoes with sweet potatoes and celery root to create a mosaic of color and variety of earthy flavors. To add a little pizazz to the presentation, we drizzle a rich and creamy carrot butter over the top. Serve this hot out of the oven, or cool down to warm or room temperature over some bitter greens for a change of pace.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ROOT VEGETABLE GRATIN
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 celery root
  • 3-4 Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1 quart half & half
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 -10 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 3 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed
  • 1 cup grated Asiago cheese
  • 1 cup grated Provolone
  • CARROT BUTTER
  • 1, 16- ounce bottle of carrot juice
  • 4 carrots peeled and cut into large pieces
  • 1 cube of salted butter

Instructions
 

  • Using a mandolin, food processor, or sharp knife, cut all vegetables into approximately 1/8 inch slices.
  • In a separate bowl, combine Asiago and Provolone cheese together.
  • In a medium sized saucepan, combine half & half, 3 thyme sprigs, and garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer and turn off burner. Allow to steep for at least 15 minutes. Strain out solids and set aside.
  • In a buttered 13x9 inch-baking pan, layer first one layer of potatoes, one layer of sweet potatoes, and one layer of celery root. NOTE: between each layer, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and approximately ¼ cup of the cheese mixture. This recipe should yield two layers of each vegetable.
  • Gently pour reserved half & half over gratin.
  • Top with approximately 2 tablespoons fresh thyme. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with 3 whole sprigs of thyme (optional).
  • Place baking dish on a cookie sheet to catch any boil over. Bake in a 375-degree oven for at least ½ hours or until a sharp knife inserted into the middle of the pan shows your vegetables are soft.
  • Let cool for about 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving.
  • In medium saucepan, cook carrots in carrot juice until carrots are tender. Using a blender and immersion blender, puree until mixture is smooth. Stir in butter and continue blending briefly until creamy and satiny.

Here's a Root Vegetable Gratin brimming with yukon gold potatoes, jewel-toned sweet potatoes, and big slices of celery root. It’s rich, creamy, cheesy and colorful, brimming with fresh thyme and covered in a Carrot Butter that is so silky that you’ll make it again and again. Even your uncle Frank who hates vegetables of all kinds and is especially suspicious of any orange food will become a believer. Come on along and we’ll show you just how easy this is….

First, get your vegetables together. And if you aren’t familiar with celery root, do not be afraid. even though it might resemble something you have recently seen on the Discovery Chanel. Peel them up and slice them..

Get your baking dish buttered and start layering. Between each layer you’ll want to add salt, pepper, and cheese. We started with the celery root on the bottom, and ended with potatoes on top, but it’s not a rule. When your layering is done, top with fresh thyme and plenty more cheese.

Now you’re ready to add the half & half that has been steeping with fresh thyme and garlic for awhile. Pour the cream around the edges so you do not have a cheese explosion – we learned this the hard way. While this is in the oven, pour yourself a holiday beverage and get going on your Carrot Butter.

This couldn’t be easier….just cook some carrots in carrot juice and puree. Then the good part of everything – we stir in butter…lots of butter. Make sure you blend it until silky smooth. It’s hard to describe just how good this is, but take our word for it. We had to beg our husbands to try it, but then we had to hide if from them afterward.

And now, your creation is out of the oven!! Here’s the hard part…walk away. This guy needs to sit for a good 20 minutes or more so the vegetables can absorb the liquid. If, when you do serve, there is more liquid than you’d like on the bottom, just spoon it off. And if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, it reheats beautifully. Right before serving, drizzle with Carrot Butter. You can pass it individually or top the entire gratin before bringing it to the table.

Hello. I’m Roberta Reynolds.

I’m so glad you dropped in! Welcome to Bird’s Nest Bakery and Café, a collection of ‘made from scratch’, seasonal recipes developed in my home kitchen. I’ve been obsessed with creating the easiest and most delicious recipes possible since I could reach the top of a stove.

I hope you’ll find this site a welcome and relaxing place where you can come for inspiration and ideas. Take a look, have fun, and feel free to modify these recipes to suit your particular palate. It would make me so happy if you would share these recipes with friends and family. After all, cooking and baking are meant to be shared with those we care about. That’s what’s so much fun about it!