Guilt-Free Gratin - Recipe

Vegetarian Times, Nov, 1999 by Janet Charatan

Rework a classic casserole with loads of flavor, not fat

Few dishes are easier to prepare or more delicious than a gratin--you slice and season vegetables and bake in liquid until a savory crust forms--but gratins carry a heavy price tag in terms of fat and calories.

A gratin, from the French word for crust, can be made from almost any vegetable. Everything from potatoes to winter squash to Brussels sprouts tastes great when moistened with liquid and baked until the vegetables are meltingly tender and the flavors concentrated. But the cream, butter and/or shredded cheese that typically enrich gratins can turn an otherwise healthy dish into a fat-laden nightmare.

But here's some good news: Starchy vegetables like potatoes are also excellent baked in vegetable broth instead of cream, so that's what we used in our trimmed-down version. By using Yukon gold potatoes, which have a succulent buttery flavor and an almost creamy texture, we were able to omit the fat entirely. We also added carrots for a touch of subtle sweetness.

Many gratins are sprinkled with buttery bread crumbs or grated Parmesan cheese before they bake to help the crust form. We left these ingredients out to save calories as well as to let the natural flavors shine through. The result? A comforting, fat-free casserole that's a treat all year 'round.

Potato and Carrot Gratin

6 SERVINGS DAIRY-FREE

Serve this homey dish as part of a holiday dinner or paired with baked marinated tofu and a tossed green salad. The carrots can be replaced with parsnips.

2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
and very thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
tsp. dried basil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, very thinly sliced
1 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

POSITION RACK in upper third of oven. Preheat aoven to 400 [degrees] F. Orease shallow 2 1/4- to 3-quart casserole.

Pat potatoes dry with paper towels. Arrange half the potato slices in single layer over bottom of prepared casserole, overlapping slightly. Season with a little salt, pepper and basil. Sprinkle with half the chopped onion.

Add all carrot slices, overlapping slightly. Season with a little salt, pepper and basil; sprinkle with remaining onion. Top with remaining potato slices, overlapping slightly. Season with remaining salt, pepper and basil.

Add enough broth to come three-quarters of the way up vegetables. Cover casserole with lid or foil and bake until potatoes are almost tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until potatoes are very tender, about 25 minutes more. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 174 CAL.; 4G PROT.; 0 TOTAL FAT (0 SAT. FAT); 37G CARS.; 0 CHOL,; 411MG SOD.; 4G FIBER

Janet Charatan is recipe editor of Vegetarian Times.3