This sweet potato, parsnip and beet gratin could be the most beautiful dish I have ever made. The colors are incredible and with this lighter version of the classic gratin cream sauce, the color from the beets will not bleed over maintaining those crisp, colorful lines that make this gratin so fabulous.
This dish is not just for looks though. It is absolutely delicious! I have never combined sweet potatoes, parsnips and beets before, but will do so more often know that I have figured out what a tasty trio they are! Their flavors are just perfect together and the cream, parmesan and fontina all just add to their already fabulous flavors and you don’t need to add a lot to make this dish perfect.
Let’s get started…
Start by peeling and thin slicing 1 medium sweet potato, 3 large parsnips and 6 medium sized beets. I usually try to pick all of them out to match each other. Yesterday, I was in the produce section holding a parsnip next to the beets to try to find some of similar circumference. One of the grocery store employees seemed curious about what I was doing and once I told him, he was all about finding a sweet potato that matched my other veggies!
Using a mandolin is the easiest way to make so many cuts the same thickness, but if you do not have one, just do your best to make your slices thin and of similar thickness, so they all cook the same.
In addition to the thinly sliced vegetables, you will need 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter, 1 cup of finely shredded parmesan or parmigiano reggiano, 1/4 cup of finely shredded fontina, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of garlic salt and some fresh herbs of your choice. Everyone likes different herbs and whatever you prefer will work with this gratin. I love thyme and parsley, so thats what I am using, but you can use anything you like… oregano, dill, tarragon, rosemary… anything fresh.
Place the beets, parsnips and sweet potatoes in separate bowls and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt and a pinch of salt and pepper into each bowl. Gently toss the vegetables until the are all lightly coated.
Prepare a deep dish baking pan (I used a 4 quart dish, but anything close will work fine) by greasing the interior with 2 tablespoons of butter and then combining 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of finely chopped parmesan and 2 minced garlic cloves in the bottom of the dish.
Now, arrange the sliced vegetables in the baking dish. You can do this any way you like! Classic gratin is occasionally done stacked on top of each other, instead of in lines, as I did today. You can keep the colors uniform or stagger them, like 5 beets, 5 parsnips and 5 sweet potatoes. Have fun with your stacking, just keep them tight together and try to fill the entire dish evenly.
If you have any left over at the end, try to fill in any of the open areas…
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and baking in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, carefully transfer the dish onto a heat proof surface (such as a wooden cutting board) and remove the foil. Leave your oven set at 400 degrees and close the door to keep it nice and hot in there.
Now sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of finely shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup of finely shredded fontina over the vegetables and return the dish to the 400 degree oven to bake for another 15-18 minutes.
Once the sweet potatoes, beets and parsnips are all soft and the cheese is melty and starting to brown a bit on the edges, your vegetable gratin is ready….
Transfer the baking dish onto a cooling rack and let it relax for about 10 minutes before slicing. This will allow the creamy, cheesy sauce to set up a bit and it will come with the vegetables when you scoop them out (trust me… you want that sauce.)
I usually garnish with a bit more shredded parmesan and some finely chopped parsley. I am so obsessed with how the green parsley looks over the super bright purple beets, the orange sweet potatoes and those creamy parsnips. The flavor is creamy and salty, but lighter than your typical potato gratin. My favorite thing about this dish (beside the way it looks) is the flavor combination of sweet potatoes, beets and parsnips. I don’t think I have ever combined them before and I will absolutely be doing so again… very soon.
Gorgeous. Perfect. Delicious. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato, Parsnip & Beet Gratin
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced
- 6 medium beets, peeled, thinly sliced
- 3 large parsnips, peeled, thinly sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 1/4 cup parmesan or parmigiano reggiano, finely shredded
- 1/4 cup fontina, finely shredded
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1/8 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Peel and thinly slice the vegetables and place them into separate bowls
- Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 1 teaspoon of garlic salt, a pinch of salt and pepper and the herbs (if using) into each bowl and toss until all of the vegetables are lightly coated
- Prepare a deep baking dish by greasing the interior surface with 2 tablespoons of butter
- In the bottom of the baking dish, combine 1/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/4 cup of finely shredded and 2 minced garlic cloves
- Arrange the vegetables in rows, packing them in tightly and uniformly
- Cover the baking dish tightly with foil
- Bake on the center rack of a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes
- Transfer the baking dish onto a heat proof surface (such as a wooden cutting board) *Note: leave the oven door shut and oven set at 400 degrees
- Remove the foil and sprinkle 1/4 cup of finely shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup of finely shredded fontina over the vegetables
- Return the baking dish to the oven and bake at 400 degrees for an additional 15-18 minutes
- Once the vegetables are soft and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, transfer the baking dish onto a cooling rack
- Allow the vegetable gratin to cool for about 10 minutes before serving
- Garnish with additional shredded parmesan and finely chopped parsley
