Description
Parsnip Gratin with melty gruyere, garlic,fresh nutmeg, thyme… the perfect vegetarian side dish, great for holidays!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 1/4 -2 1/2 lbs Parsnips
- 1 medium onion- yellow or white
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream (do not sub half and half or milk)
- butter for greasing the pan
- 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg ( or ground), more for the top
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon tresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon flour or Rice Flour
- 3-4 large minced cloves of garlic
- 6-8 ounces, grated gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Peel the parsnips and, using a mandolin, slice the parsnips into 1/8 thin slices. The thinner the slices the faster this will bake. If you don’t have a mandolin, slice them as thinly as humanly possible! 😉 Thinly slice the onion and grate the cheese.
- Generously grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter. Place a sheet pan on the lower rack to catch any overflow.
- Layer the parsnips and onion with 2/3 of the cheese and ⅔ of the thyme -saving the rest for the top- and reserving the more perfect pieces of parsnips for the final top layer. Press down and make sure layers are even. It’s OK if the inside layers are messy. Place the last layer of parsnip slices in nice-looking overlapping rows.
- In a sauce pan, heat 3 cups heavy whipping cream. Whisk in salt, nutmeg, the remaining thyme, white pepper, flour and the garlic and when it just comes to a simmer, pour over the layered parsnips, slanting the baking dish to get the cream in all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, a few more leaves of thyme, and a little sprinkling of nutmeg.
- Cover tightly with parchment and foil (you want a good seal) and bake for 45-60 minutes (depending on thickness) on the middle rack until parsnips are fork-tender. (If your parsnips were perhaps cut thicker than 1/8 of an inch, you will need to cook longer with the foil on.) Also, don’t worry if it seems watery at this point.
- Once fork-tender, remove foil and bake another 15 minutes uncovered, or until golden and bubbly. It is important to let it sit at room temp for 15-20 minutes before serving, so it sets up and thickens.
- You can also make this all ahead, and reheat before serving.
Notes
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator, or can be frozen for up to 3 months. You can also substitute half of the parsnips with potatoes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 524
- Sugar: 9.1 g
- Sodium: 481.9 mg
- Fat: 42.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 25.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 28.5 g
- Fiber: 6.8 g
- Protein: 10.8 g
- Cholesterol: 128.1 mg
