Taming That Rogue Root
Although I’ve never been a big fan of horseradish, I recently tasted some dishes made distinctive by its addition. I began to experiment with this ancient herb, whose large, white pungent roots are the part used most often.
After several attempts, I came up with a gratin of Yukon Gold potatoes prepared with a hint of horseradish. I mixed together half and half, chicken stock and prepared horseradish. Then I arranged layers of sliced potatoes in a baking dish, sprinkled them with grated Gruyere cheese, salt and pepper and some of the horseradish mixture and baked them until tender and crusty on top. The subtle touch of horseradish combined admirably with the nutty taste of the cheese to flavor the potatoes.
I served this gratin and blanched asparagus with a roast leg of lamb, but these potatoes would also make a fine side dish with grilled steaks, roast chicken or roast pork.
It’s easy to include in a menu for entertaining because, once baked, the potatoes can rest, loosely covered with foil, for up to 20 minutes, leaving time to complete other parts of a meal. Leftover prepared horseradish can be stored in the refrigerator for use in another dish or for a repeat of this one.
GRATINEED POTATOES WITH GRUYERE AND HORSERADISH
1 cup half and half
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 pounds Yukon Gold, baking or red boiling potatoes
Nonstick cooking spray
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated Gruyere cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley, preferably flat leaf
Whisk together half and half, chicken stock, horseradish and mustard. Set aside.
Peel potatoes and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Overlap 1/3 potatoes in pan, season generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.
Strain horseradish from liquid. Distribute 1/3 horseradish evenly over potatoes. Repeat layering of potatoes, salt, pepper, cheese and horseradish twice, then pour half and half mixture over all.
Bake at 400 degrees until potatoes are tender, top is crusty and golden brown and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour. Remove and cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings:
268 calories; 258 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.77 gram fiber.