Author Notes
A fall gratin that smells like heaven - the boiled cider ups the apple flavor and the parmesan cheese adds some depth. In the first iteration of this, I used raw onions and as my husband put it, "....uh....it's onion-y..." He had a pained look on his face while gamely smiling around the onions. But then I remembered this amazing tomato-potato gratin from Sunday Suppers at Lucques that uses caramelized onions (you should definitely check it out if you get a chance). And that was all it took. Feel free to sub out any root veggies you like for the potatoes. A mandolin makes quick work of the slicing but please use the guard. I tried very hard to take the top of my finger off making this. And yes, I know that you should always use the guard and yes, I know that it was stupid but there you have it. Now I'm limited on writing and cooking and knitting (blood in yarn is not a good look) until my finger heels. Yes mom, I know I'm an idiot....but you love me anyway! —Niknud
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Ingredients
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1 tablespoon
butter
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5
medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
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3/4 cup
plus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
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2 teaspoons
fresh thyme
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2 teaspoons
fresh sage, chopped fine
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1/2 teaspoon
fresh ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon
salt
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2 tablespoons
boiled cider
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3
apples, peeled and sliced thin
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5
small-medium gold potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
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1/4 cup
shredded parmesan cheese (or asiago or whatever you want)
Directions
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In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are carmelized with a deep golden color.
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While the onions are carmelizing, Combine the cream, sage, thyme, salt, pepper and boiled cider in a small bowl. Put half the mixture in a bowl with the apple slices and half with the potato slices and toss to coat.
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Preheat the oven to 425 and grab your gratin pan (a deep dish pie plate works well).
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When the onions have finished cooking, place half in the bottom of the pie plate, then place a layer of apples and a layer of potatoes on top. Repeat. Use a spatula to get any leftover cream out of the bowls - no wasting the good stuff! Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook for 90 minutes.
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Remove the foil and cook, uncovered for another 40 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it's not over-browning. When there are 15 minutes remaining, sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top. Enjoy!
Full-time working wife and mother of two small boys whose obsessive need to cook delicious food is threatening to take over what little free time I have. I grew up in a family of serious cookers but didn't learn to cook myself until I got married and got out of the military and discovered the joys of micro-graters, ethiopian food, immersion blenders and watching my husband roll around on the floor after four servings of pulled pork tamales (with real lard!) complaining that he's so full he can't feel his legs. Trying to graduate from novice cooker to ranked amateur. The days of 'the biscuit incident of aught five' as my husband refers to it are long past but I still haven't tried my hand at paella so I'm a work in progress!
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