Potato, Chanterelle And Stilton Gratin
serves 4-8
We used Stilton for this gratin, but you could use any blue cheese -- Gorgonzola, Bleu d'Auvergne, Roquefort, Point Reyes Blue, Jasper Hill's Bayley Hazen Blue and so on. For that matter, just about any combination of wild and cultivated mushrooms will do if you can't find chanterelles.
1 1/2 cups crumbled Stilton
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound chanterelles, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
2 pounds waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
prep: 20 minutes
total: 1 hour 30 minutes
1 9 x 13-inch baking dish
large bowl
vegetable peeler
large saucepan
aluminum foil
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a large rectangular baking dish.
2. In a medium bowl, mash together the Stilton and 1 cup of the cream until well combined. Stir in the rest of the cream and the salt and pepper.
3. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. When the foam of the butter subsides, stir in the chanterelles. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the fresh herbs over the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms absorb most of the liquid, 5-7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a single, overlapping layer of potato slices. Spread a third of the cheese mixture over the potatoes. Layer the mushrooms over the cheese mixture. On top of the mushrooms, spread another third of the cheese mixture. Cover the cheese mixture with the rest of the potato slices and then spread the rest of the cheese mixture on top.
5. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Take off the aluminum foil and bake the gratin uncovered until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese on top is lightly browned, 25-35 minutes.
