Abercrombie & Feast

You know what I used to love?? Potatoes au gratin from the red box. The ones with the perfectly pre-cut round “potatoes” and the gooey cheese-style sauce. Yum. I think I’m going to start wearing lots of orange and white and call it cheese-style. Watch for it in Paris next summer.

Anyway, I loved those instant potatoes and could have eaten the whole box myself when I was a kid. Then, around this time last year, I tried to make my own. As you can see, the results beat the pants off of anything from a red box. My potatoes had the red box “potatoes” sobbing in a corner, feeling really inadequate.

Now, with that victory firmly under my belt (and… let’s be frank, on my thighs and other jiggly bits), I have tackled rainbow chard au gratin.

This was a harder test. Potatoes + cheese-sauce + oven baked = internationally popular best friends, like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck . Dark leafy greens + cheese-sauce + oven baked = odd pairing that people are initially skeptical about, like Merryl Streep starring in an ABBA-themed movie.

And lo… like Mamma Mia, and all things ABBA related, this was a hit! The dark, earthy greens tasted mellow in their robe of cheese-sauce. The crunchy bits on top only highlighted the velvety texture of the cooked greens. This rainbow chard gratin played a supporting role in our dinner, but I think this could easily fit the starring role in a meat-free meal. Just serve it with some slices of bread and a smooth red wine and you’ll be havin’ the time of your life.

Rainbow chard and Stilton gratin

Serves 4 as a side dish

butter
500g (or 1lb) rainbow chard
150ml cream
100ml milk
3 tbs Stilton or other creamy blue cheese
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
salt and pepper
2 handfuls of breadcrumbs
2 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to gas mark 4 (180C / 350F.)  Butter a shallow casserole dish and set aside. 

Wash the chard very well.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to the boil. 

Chop the stems off the chard and, once the water is boiling, add the stems for 4-5 mins.  Chop the leaves into large chunks and add them to the water for a further 2-3 minutes. 

Drain the chard in a colander and dry very well.  I used my salad spinner to get rid of the extra moisture and it was great. 

While the chard is drying, add the cream, milk, Stilton and garlic to a saucepan and place over medium-low heat.  Stir constantly until the cream thickens slightly and the cheese melts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.

Spread the chard out in the buttered casserole dish.  Pour the cream sauce over and make sure the chard is well covered.  Scatter with the breadcrumbs and the cheese. 

Bake in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until golden.