I apologize for my lateness on this weeks post, if it weren’t for Phil it never would have made it. He filled in as my prep-cook this week as I am all slings and bandages. Thank you for visiting!
While winter is my favorite season, fall has certain attributes that often make me think twice about my rating system. The most notorious monkey wrench unhinging my scale being apples. Braeburn, Gravenstein, Rome Beauty, Granny Smith, Pink Lady are only a few delights the orchard provides us with this time of year. Perhaps it is the Washingtonian in me, but I am a fool for them. I remember helping my grandmother fill buckets of small crisp apples from her orchard destined for pies. She always sent us home with bags brimming which we always kept in the back of the refrigerator for easy snacking.
I like to bring apples to my table in more ways than pies and tarts, blurring the lines between savories and sweets. A few years ago, I became smitten with the creamy tart and hearty combination of apple and potato. I’ve used the combination in a savory strudel, pretty little galettes and my personal favorite the gratin. For my gratin I took the traditional element of gruyere, added toasted caraway and caramelized onions for a welcome change. I pre-baked the potatoes so the apples wouldn’t turn to mush while waiting for the potatoes to bake. The resulting texture is definitely worth the extra step.
Apple and Potato Gratin
6 Yukon Gold Potatoes, pre-baked, then sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
3 Granny Smith Apples, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch rings with the core removed, then slice in half, keeping the best looking ring in tact for decorating the top
2 TBS Unsalted Butter + 2 TBS diced for the topping
1 Onion, sliced thin
3 TBS Flour
3 cups Chicken Stock, warm
2 cups Gruyere, shredded
1 tsp Caraway Seed, toasted
1/2 tsp Thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
Sea Salt, to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
2 cups Breadcrumbs*
Preheat the oven to 350F
In a medium sized baking dish arrange the apples and potatoes one after the other in a pretty fashion, layering them in the dish, placing the prettiest ring on top.
In a sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat and add in the onions. Cook for a few minutes and then lower the heat to medium low and allow to caramelize. Once the onions and well caramelized, sprinkle in the flour, stir well. Allow to cook a minute or two longer before adding the warm stock a little at a time. Bring to a rolling boil and allow the mixture to thicken, stirring often. Add in the gruyere, caraway, thyme, salt and pepper, boiling and stirring until well combined. Carefully pour over the potatoes and apples. Top with the fresh bread crumbs and the diced butter.
Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until golden on top.
*I use leftover baguette or whatever I have on hand for this. Don’t worry about toasting them separately, they will have the opportunity to do so while baking.
Finally, I have two things I want to share with you:
First, from the Philippines to Samoa, the people of the Asia Pacific are having a rough time right now. Joey at 80 Breakfasts has listed several links for those of us who are in a position to help.
Second, Barbara at Winos and Foodies has posted the Taste of Yellow Roundup.
I seemed to have missed something. Slings and bandages. Why?
Thanks for the shout out for A Taste of Yellow..
Interesting concept to add apples to one of my favourite dishes.
Barbara, Oh no, you didn’t miss a thing. I had a culinary disaster which resulted in a sprained wrist. Not a lot of fun, but I am dealing with it and Phil is becoming quite the prep-cook.
They go beautifully together, especially with the onions and caraway to bridge the gap.
Go Taste of Yellow!
And there I was thinking you’d been chasing after cars… again!
There is something about apples and cheese that is just perfect.
Hope you’re back to the crocodile wrestling soon.
Griffin, I agree, it is impossible for me to put together a cheese plate without them. Thanks.
Yipes, slings and bandages? I hope you’re healing up well from your culinary disaster. Your gratin looks like it’d be a great side at Thanksgiving too.
Thanks Marvin. Teach me to wrestle my dinner. It would be perfect for Thanksgiving. I wonder though, would it be wrong to serve it and mashed potatoes? Na, there are no rights and wrongs to Thanksgiving . . . unless it involves family secrets revealed by a wine soaked relative.
How interesting. I must say I’ve never thought about apples and potatoes together before. But, of course, the French word for potatoes translates as ground apples. In fact, I’ve never thought of apples with savory foods except for scalloped (alone and sweet ) with roast pork or sliced into long-roasted sauerkraut.
So sorry to hear about your sprained wrist. Your non-dominant hand, I hope, but then it’s always the one we’re using that gets the most abuse. =o I just saw an article in a recent culinary mag about one handed cooking. Damned if I can find it now, which is to say it’s not one I own, I must have been browsing through something. I’m sorry I didn’t read it to relate tips — it came along once I had both arms to use again. I’ll do a google search and see what I can come up with ’cause I remember that period as extremely difficult.
Does this mean Phil gets to touch you knives? ::wicked grin remembering your original C&Z tagline::
Barbara, I am off to see what a Touch of Yellow is and how to support it. It’s such a long time since I’ve read food blogs that I confess myself to be truly clueless. Great to see you!
Rainey, Tart apples cross over very easily. I too love them with roast pork and sauerkraut. The Pike Steet Brewery makes an apple sauerkraut that is to die for.
It is my dominant hand, which is truly frustrating. Yes, Phil gets to use them now. With all of the help he has given me he definitely deserves it. It is also a great teaching opportunity, tonight he is learning how to do a roast.
Taste of Yellow was created by Barbara a few years ago as a way to show her support for those who have been touched by cancer and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It is a beautiful event where people come together to cook, share and stand together. Our Barbara is really quite something isn’t she?
Yum! I love apples with savoury food. … or nectarines… or peaches… Shall try this for a dinner party. Wayne will not eat cooked apple, so will have to make it when other people are around to help me enjoy it.
Hope your wrist is better soon. It is sooooo frustrating being incapacitated like that. I spent a few years with my right hand in a brace (on and off) and found that thighs and crook of elbow make great vices for opening jars or holding bowls while you whisk/stir ingredients. A bottle of wine can be put on teh floor between your feet and then you only need one hand to operate the corkscrew!! Personally, a stiff drink is kind of essential at a time like this…..
Thanks Debbie. I haven’t had to use a corkscrew yet, but that will come in handy soon I’m sure. I have been in the sherry a bit these days. A little nip here and there is just what the doctor ordered!
I am so glad Phil will eat anything I put in front of him. I think he may have been a goat in another life!
Oh My Goodness…. you drink sherry too!!!!!!! I thought I was the only sick puppy who still drank that stuff! How fabulous to find I have a partner in crime.
What is it with husbands (boys in general really) that they are monsieur poubelle?? I used to call my brother “garbage guts” as he ate anything that wasn’t nailed down…. and if it was nailed down he un nailed it and then ate it. Thankfully he has changed a great deal since reached adulthood and is slightly more selective in his appetites.
Debbie, I have a special affinity for the stuff, especially manzanilla style. Maybe we will have to indulge in our sherry shame together!
You’re on. It’s a date!
I shall pick some up next time I am in the UK so I will have it on hand when that time arrives. Cannot seem to find it here… sigh.
I get a fall craving for a savory tart with Yukons, apples, sweet onions and a little crumbled cured pork (if not a smattering of Rogue blue)… It makes Fall, well, Fall-er.
Love this recipe!!! It can take all the headache out of making tart crust!
… and Brian is a sherry junkie. Our last year in Billings was a Sherry Research Fest. I feel a belt comin’ on!
Oh my goodness Jen, I’m dying, that would be an amazing variation. No wonder you wear the white coat.
Do you have any sherry recommendations? What style do you guys prefer?
Ouch! Good luck with the sprained wrist. Potato and apple? How curious and very yummy sounding.
Seems like our secret sherry shame is about to come out of the closet!
BTW, Jen, that mix sounds absolutely dreamy. Wayne is away next week overnight, so might have to make a very small portion just for me to indulge in…… but would have to add potato as well. Can’t get enough potato. Does the pastry freeze ok? Maybe I can make a mini one and freeze the rest of the pastry for another use later.
Thanks Bordeaux!
Debbie, I think you’re right!
Jen’s combo really does sound dreamy. I am definitely going to have to try it.