Potato, Celeriac and Pumpkin Gratin

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 small brown onion peeled and quartered or 2 medium shallots, peeled and quartered
300ml heavy cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Handful (about 1 tbsp of actual leaves) of herbs such as thyme, rosemary, bay
1kg of vegetables, very thinly sliced on a mandolin or by hand – note, the thinner you slice the quicker the cook time. We used a mix of potato, pumpkin and celeriac. A word of warning, be very careful using a mandolin, they are VERY sharp!
110g cheese, optional – we used parmesan and some cheddar 

Summary

Preheat oven to 165°C.  Rub the inside of a 1L shallow baking dish with cut side of one of the garlic cloves. Smear butter all over inside of dish.

Bring cream, onions, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat; cook until onions and garlic are very soft, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly. Remove any woody stems of the herbs, transfer to a blender; blend until smooth.

Arrange potato slices in prepared dish, fanning out a handful at a time, (this ensures every scoop will have tender potatoes from the bottom and crisp edges at the top). Continue until bottom of dish is covered. Tuck smaller slices into any gaps to fill. Pour cream mixture over potatoes and cover dish tightly with foil. Bake potatoes until tender and creamy, about 2 hours – it’ll depend how thinly you cut your potatoes, check regularly after the 90 minute mark.

Remove foil, top potatoes with cheese if using and return to the oven at 200°C. for another 10 or so minutes until cheese has melted and it’s all lovely and golden.

Serve topped with more thyme leaves.