Cold weather comfort

By Shana Hillman

Photo courtesy of Shana Hillman

We've been having an unseasonably warm winter here in Toronto. We've had a few smatterings of snow but nothing has stayed. It was a green January and I've only had to bust out my big parka a handful of times. It's hard to deny climate change is a thing (that and the um science). However this weekend right before Valentine's Day we finally got two dumps of snow that look like they are staying. After taking the beagles for a winter wonderland walk and watching them make snow beagles (like snow angels but more adorable) I wanted to hole up and bang out some real comfort food.

There is nothing better than gratin anything. A quick inventory of the kitchen and I discovered we still had a few of the potatoes we dug at my parents on Thanksgiving left. I had also gotten some gorgeous leeks from my favourite vendor, Highmark Farms, at the Wychwood Barns Farmers Market Saturday morning. Those Highmark boys are super charming and cute - so who am I to resist their leeks? I also found a fennel bulb in the fridge that was looking for a home. A quick internet search (potato, leek, fennel) and I had a recipe. We had some good aged Ontario cheddar in the cheese drawer and even some whipping cream I had bought to make dessert so I was good to go.

Potato Gratin with Caramelized Fennel and Leek

Recipe just barely adapted from Modern Beet

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and any bruised outer leaves removed sliced as thinly as possible

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon olive oil

butter for pan

4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

Fresh cracked pepper

1/2 cup grated old cheddar - I used Balderson's 3 year old.

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Approximately 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat then add the fennel and leek and stir to coat. Reduce heat to low and cook until fennel and leeks are caramelized, about 40 minutes, stirring every now and then to prevent burning.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a baking dish (I use a medium sized oval pyrex that looks nice enough I can serve from it at the table). Grate and mix the two cheeses together.

When fennel and leeks are caramelized, assemble the gratin: layer 1/3 of the potatoes in the baking dish, overlapping slightly; sprinkle with pepper. Spoon half of the fennel and leek mixture over potatoes and spread evenly.

Cover with half the cheese and sprinkle with half the thyme.

Repeat for one more layer. Top with remaining potatoes.

Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over gratin, then pour in enough cream so that the liquid is at the same level as the top of the potatoes.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until top is golden and gratin is fork tender. Enjoy!

You'll notice the drips down the side of my pan, I'd recommend setting your pan on a cookie sheet to catch drips or else you'll have a heck of a mess on the floor of your oven, a bunch of smoke in the house and an opportunity to test your fire alarms like we did. Yeah it's always exciting here at Casa Hillman. The beagles are even giving me stink eye for waking them up from their post snow frolic.

What are you making on this cold and blustery weekend?

Written by:

Shana Hillman

Shana Hillman grew up in a small town in northern Ontario where she gained experience in animal husbandry and strawberry farming. She has called Toronto home for the last 13 years. She loves cooking, preserving and growing Beagle-resistant vegetables in her sunny backyard. Recent highlights have included cheesemaking on the kitchen counter and curing pancetta in the basement, much to the horror of her adoring, yet dubious husband, and to the delight of her two ravenous Beagles (who are now banned from the basement until further notice).

Responses to “Cold weather comfort”

hyedie Says: February 14, 2012 1:34 PM

Hey Shana, do you use a mandolin to slice the potatoes? Just wondering what the easiest way would be, because I usually slice the old fashioned way - with my knife!

Shana Hillman replied to comment from hyedie Says: February 17, 2012 7:32 PM

I am not allowed to use a mandolin since that one time I took the off the whole pad of my thumb....yikes!

I took a knife skills class at Good Egg in kensington and it was fantastic.