Yukon Gold Potato Gratin with Horseradish & Parmesan

There are certain recipes you need a staple for – your go-to recipes. The basic chocolate chip cookie. Mashed potatoes. Spaghetti sauce. For me, the one I kept trying but never found “the one” was potato gratin.

After perfecting my mashed potatoes – Yukon golds smashed rustic style with butter, cream, creme fresh and rosemary – I now needed a great alternative starch to serve with my favorite filet, roast or ham.

When making filet mignon for my parents the other weekend, I tried this one as another attempt at finding my new go-to gratin recipe. After much searching, I found it. I am convinced the thing that sets it apart (aside from the large quantities of cream, of course) is the addition of horseradish. I never would have thought of it, but it is such a natural combination that I sure should have. This gratin has a creamy sauce, a little kick from the horseradish and a salty top layer of parmesan. The perfect gratin dish.

A little tip – I didn’t have cheesecloth so instead I chopped up the garlic, thyme and just used ground pepper. Worked just fine!
Thanks to Epicurious for this great recipe that I will now frequently serve with my balsamic filet mignon.

Also to note, it is clear that I am not able to take a photo as beautiful as this one. Like some of my other posts, I have been lucky enough to have my dad be able to take a photo, so credit goes to him – http://www.robertstonephotography.com.

YUKON GOLD POTATO GRATIN WITH HORSERADISH AND PARMESAN
10 servings

1 bunch fresh thyme
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 dried bay leaf
3 pounds boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices
2 tablespoons sea salt
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with back of knife
4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh horseradish, grated
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

Place rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.

Generously butter a 2 1/2- to 3-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.

Make a bouquet garni by wrapping thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaf in 6-inch square of cheese cloth and securing with kitchen string.

In heavy, 6-quart saucepan, combine potatoes, bouquet garni, salt, garlic cloves, and cream. Set over moderate heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes can just be pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove bouquet garni and garlic and discard. Stir in horseradish.

Spread potato mixture in buttered dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Toffee Squares

The problem with making cookies for the holidays is that everyone has a different favorite. I can’t go through a holiday season without making jam thumbprints for my husband (his favorite) or brownies for my co-worker (her favorite) and so on and so forth. Every year I make 3 or 4 of the old favorites that without, whining would certainly commence. Then, I always try some new ones to be added to the rotation.

And, before my designated “Christmas Baking Day” (yes, I actually take a day off of work to do it), I had to bake a bit early since our holiday parties seemed to span a 2-week time frame. So, when I saw this recipe on epicurious.com, I thought it sounded like the perfect missing puzzle piece to my cookie line-up.

The original recipe comes from a booked called Very Merry Cookie Party by Virginia Van Vynckt and Barbara Grunes. I made the recipe in the second way suggested – with the inclusion of toffee bits.

I am actually a bit embarrassed to show how easy this recipe is, since only about 30 minutes total gives you an entire 9 x 13 of these sweet morsels. They are so good that only within about 4 days from my first batch, I will be making another for yet more holiday occasions.

Thanks to Very Merry Cookie Party for this amazing recipe – and the newest member of my holiday cookie favorites.

TOFFEE SQUARES
Makes about 48 squares (on 9×13 pan)

Crust:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:
7 to 8 ounces milk chocolate, broken into pieces, or 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
1/2 cup toffee bits

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment. (or spray a nonstick pan with baking spray)

Prepare the crust. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla, and salt. On low speed, gradually beat in the flour just until mixed. The dough will be stiff. Pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the baking pan.

Bake in the center of the oven until pale gold on top, about 20 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate pieces evenly over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for 1 minute. Remove the pan again and, using a knife, spread the chocolate evenly over the crust. Sprinkle evenly with the almonds.

Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Using a sharp knife, cut into small squares, then carefully remove from the pan with a small offset spatula or an icing spatula.