Beetroot and Potato Gratin

I'm still working on using a bunch of beets and I thought this recipe was interesting. The original called for jerusalem artichokes which I've never been able to find in the store -- I substituted potatoes instead. This gratin didn't use any cheese which I guess is the traditional way of making gratin. The vegetable broth helps to cook the vegetables and the starch in them helps to create a little bit of a sauce.

Recipe adapted from Food to Glow.

Ingredients:

-1 pound of beetroot and potatoes, washed and peeled, thinly sliced 

-5 tbsp unsalted butter

-75g (2.6 oz/1/2 cup) finely chopped shallots or mild onion

-1 tsp chopped thyme leaves

-A pinch of Greek basil

-A few grinds of pepper

-1/4 cup vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a pie dish. Warm the five tablespoons of butter in a pan and sauté the chopped shallots slowly for five minutes, then add the herbs and pepper and sauté another minute.

Arrange the vegetables as you wish in your prepared dish. I placed beet slices all over the bottom, and then layered the beetroot and potato into a rosette pattern. Pour the vegetable stock over the vegetables and then then the butter/herb.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the vegetable are very tender.

Slice and serve. 

  

This recipe was just okay. It wasn't horrible, I do wish that it had a cheese sauce, I think that would have helped the beets. The beets I've been using are candy cane beets, which seem to be more bitter and less sweet than traditional beets. I think that more of a sauce would have helped to combat that bitter flavor.