Root vegetable dauphinoise

Serves 4 as a side dish

The idea for this came out of wanting to do something a bit different with winter veg, and having asked a few friends for ideas I chose this one from Tim (who’s a bit of a foodie, writing an excellent blog called Eyes on the Prize). I looked at a few recipes online for inspiration and a basic method, but then just kind of chucked everything together in the end! If you’d like something a little more concrete than my instructions, you won’t go far wrong with http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/potato-dauphinoise/

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic

Approx 650g veg, washed/peeled and finely sliced

50g leek

1 tbsp olive oil

250ml double cream

Maldon salt

freshly ground black pepper

fresh thyme (pulled off the stalk)

Directions

  1. Pre-heat oven to gas 4.
  2. Gently fry the leeks & garlic in the olive oil until soft.
  3. Place all the veg, including the cooked leek & garlic, in a large bowl. Add the seasoning, thyme, and double cream.
  4. Stir well to thoroughly mix the veg & distribute the cream & seasoning.
  5. Layer this mixture into a square/rectangular baking dish approx 1.5 inches deep.
  6. Cook until golden brown & bubbling (you might need to turn the temp up towards the end to achieve a nice golden brown top) - approx 2 hours.

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)

Root vegetable dauphinoise close-up in dish