Description
This beautiful Cheesy Root Vegetable Gratin is as stunning as it is delicious. Sweet potatoes, beets, and parsnips are layered with cream, garlic, Parmesan, and Gruyere for a savory, elegant side dish perfect for holidays like Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1–2 long sweet potatoes (about 2 inches thick), peeled
- 3–4 large parsnips, ends trimmed and peeled
- 3–5 small beets, peeled
- 14 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
- 4 ounces grated Parmesan, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme, divided, plus more for garnish
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 ounce shredded Gruyere
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with softened butter.
2. Slice sweet potatoes, parsnips, and beets into very thin rounds using a mandoline if available. Transfer each vegetable into its own bowl.
3. Pour 4 tablespoons of cream over sweet potatoes and parsnips, and 2 tablespoons over the beets.
4. Top each bowl with ½ ounce of grated Parmesan and 1 teaspoon minced thyme. Season generously with salt and pepper, then toss until well coated.
5. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup cream into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with ½ ounce of Parmesan and minced garlic.
6. Stack sweet potatoes and line them upright at a bias at the top of the baking dish. Follow with a row of parsnips, then beets. Repeat until all vegetables are arranged in six alternating rows.
7. Season the top with salt, pepper, and remaining Parmesan.
8. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
9. Uncover and top with shredded Gruyere cheese.
10. Return to oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 18-20 minutes, until vegetables are fork tender and the top is golden and bubbly.
11. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme and serve hot.
Notes
Makes one 3-quart casserole dish.
You can prepare this dish up to one day ahead and refrigerate it tightly wrapped in foil. Add 5-7 minutes to the bake time when reheating.
To minimize beet bleeding, coat sliced beets lightly with cream and avoid over-soaking. The flavor won’t be affected, but the appearance may change.
Cream amounts may vary slightly depending on the baking dish size, so adjust as needed to create a thin layer at the bottom.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 265
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 292mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 9g
- Cholesterol: 56mg