Canadian Bacon, Potato, and Swiss-Chard Gratin

The recipe is from Food & Wine. I made this for a Slow Food dinner recently and it turned out to be really tasty. Since it uses chicken broth instead of cream it isn't quite so heavy as some gratins. You can substitute spinach, kale, or even broccoli rabe for the chard. I doubled the recipe without a problem. The intro to the recipe reads as follows: Grated Gruyere cheese melts among ribbons of leafy Swiss chard and slices of Canadian bacon and potato. The dish bakes until the cheese on top is a crusty golden brown.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
½ pound Swiss chard, large stems removed, leaves cut crosswise into approximately 1-inch ribbons
1 clove of garlic minced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh- ground black pepper
1-½ pounds of baking potatoes, peeled and cut into approximately 1/8 inch slices
¼ pound Gruyere, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
½ pound sliced Canadian bacon
2/3 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock

Procedure

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium frying pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over moderately low heat. Add the Swiss chard and cook until starting to wilt, about 1 minute. Stir in the garlic and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook until no liquid remains in the pan, about 2 minutes.

2. Butter an 8 x 8 inch baking pan or similarly sized gratin dish. Layer one third of the potatoes in the dish and top with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, a third of the cheese, and half the Canadian bacon. Spread the Swiss chard in a single layer. Top with half the remaining potatoes and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread half the remaining cheese and the remaining Canadian bacon over the potatoes. Add the remaining potatoes to the dish, sprinkle with the remaining 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and top with the remaining cheese and 1 tablespoon butter. Pour the chicken broth over all.

3. Cover the gratin with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the potatoes are tender and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes before cutting.

Serves 4.

From foodandwine.com.

Last updated: May 1, 2007