Name: Potato, leek and silverbeet gratin
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 bunch silverbeet (about 850gm), trimmed, half the stalks reserved; 50 ml olive oil; 80 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 1 leek, thinly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 kg waxy potatoes, such as kipflers; 800 ml pouring cream; 80 gm coarse fresh breadcrumbs; 3 tsp thyme; Finely grated rind of 1 lemon; To serve: crisp green salad and crusty bread

Potato, leek and silverbeet gratin

A sumptuous recipe for potato, leek and silverbeet gratin.

Serves 8

Prep

25M

Cook

1H 15M

Total

1H 40M

It’s common to see a gratin served as an accompaniment to a meat or poultry dish, but with a crisp green salad and plenty of crusty bread, this is really a meal in itself. You can cook it in advance if you like, then add the breadcrumb topping and warm it through just before serving.

Ingredients

1 bunch silverbeet (about 850gm), trimmed, half the stalks reserved

50 ml olive oil

80 gm butter, coarsely chopped

1 leek, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 kg waxy potatoes, such as kipflers

800 ml pouring cream

80 gm coarse fresh breadcrumbs

3 tsp thyme

Finely grated rind of 1 lemon

To serve: crisp green salad and crusty bread

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. Coarsely chop silverbeet leaves and thinly slice the reserved stalks, and set aside separately.

2.Heat oil and 20gm butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming, add leek, silverbeet stalks and two-thirds of the garlic and stir occasionally until tender (3-4 minutes). Add silverbeet leaves, stir occasionally until tender and wilted (2-3 minutes), season to taste, then transfer to a colander to drain excess liquid.

3. Meanwhile, thinly slice potato on a mandolin, combine in a bowl with cream to prevent discolouring, season to taste and set aside.

4.Spread silverbeet mixture in the base of a buttered 2-litre baking dish, then arrange potato in overlapping layers on top, seasoning well as you go. Pour over enough cream to just cover, dot with 20gm butter, place on a baking tray and bake until bubbling and golden around the edges (45-50 minutes).

5.Meanwhile, melt remaining butter, combine in a bowl with breadcrumbs, thyme and rind, season to taste. Scatter over gratin, bake until crumbs are golden and potato is tender when pierced with a skewer (8-10 minutes). Serve hot with a crisp green salad and crusty bread.