Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

Lucky for me I have been blogging Know Your Squash. I was at a small up north grocery store and thought I was buying butternut squash. But two cashiers insisted it was spaghetti squash and the man bagging groceries wasn't sure. So it took the grocer from produce to declare indeed it was butternut squash.  

I knew it all along.

Here are some interesting squash varieties to help you be an informed shopper.

Sweet Dumpling 

 Blue Hubbard

Delicata

Red Kuri

Autumn Root Vegetable Gratin with Herbs and Cheese

Cook's notes: Root vegetables are nourishing veggies that develop under the soil.  Be creative using root veggies in this dish. Choose your favorites. 

Recipe adapted from "Williams-Sonoma Entertaining with the Seasons" and serves 6.
Ingredients:

• 3 parsnips
• 2 small rutabagas
• 1 medium turnip
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes or 1/2 lb. sweet potatoes
• 1 TB. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 2 tsp. fine sea salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mix
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup 2 % milk
• 2 TB. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 TB. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or 1 TB. dried parsley
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 cup. finely shredded Gruyère cheese

Directions:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 qt baking dish or gratin dish.
• Peel the parsnips, rutabagas, turnip and potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Put the vegetables in a stockpot, add water to cover by 4 to 5 inches and add the coarse sea salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the vegetables are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
• Drain the vegetables well and transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the fine sea salt, 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mix, pepper and stir several times. Add minced cloves. 
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the half-and-half, milk and the 2 Tbs. butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, just until tiny bubbles form along the edge of the pan.
• Pour half of the milk mixture over the vegetables and mash coarsely with a potato masher. When the milk mixture has been absorbed, add the remaining milk mixture with parsley and thyme. Mash coarsely again until well blended. Spoon mashed mixture into the prepared gratin dish, smoothing the surface. Sprinkle the cheeses on top. Cut the 1 tsp. butter into bits and dot the top.
• Bake until bubbles begin to form along the edges and the top begins to turn golden, 15 to 20 minutes. 

Check out Bella's latest posting Lucky Me https://bellasworldblog.wordpress.com/2015/10/15/lucky-me/