Chard and Potato Gratin

The beautiful rainbow chard I found at the Farmers Market was the only inspiration I needed to make this delicious, indulgent Chard and Potato Gratin with nutty Emmental cheese, butter, and a little half-and-half.

The recipe is from Georgeanne Brennan's The Vegetarian Table: France. It's quite a simple recipe, but the perfect way to use chard and enjoy a wintery, indulgent dish. I remember the first time I made this, I thought it was so involved, but it really only requires 15 minutes of prep and an hour to cook. And it's so worth the effort!  All you need is a beautiful bunch of chard, a couple of potatoes, Emmental of Gruyere cheese, butter and half-and -half.

Chard and Potato Gratin:

garlic clove
1 bunch chard, stalks removed, leaves chopped (save the stalks -see the next post for a recipe for the stalks)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced as thin as possible
3 oz Emmental cheese, grated
butter
S&P
1/4 cup half-and-half (cream or milk can be substituted)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a oblong dish and rub the sides with a cut garlic clove.  Layer 1/2 of the thinly sliced potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Dot with butter. Season with a grind of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 of the chopped chard leaves and top with 1/2 of the grated cheese. Add a second layer using the other half of thinly sliced potatoes, dot with butter and season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining chopped chard and remaining cheese. Pour the half-and-half (cream/milk) over the top.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour. Enjoy!