It may be April, but it sure feels like winter. We had four inches of new snow last weekend and flurries today. Nonetheless, we are eating the bounty of last summer’s garden, thanks to our good friends Gene & Darren.
Last fall, they delivered dozens of ears of fresh corn from the garden, cucumber relish, and bags and bags of potatoes. Yes, there must have been six or seven grocery bags of French fingerlings, some golden beauties that I don’t remember by name and a bunch of blue potatoes.
The potatoes wintered beautifully in a crock in our cool, back pantry. So last weekend, I decided to use up the last of them. (The few remaining spuds that are sprouting may be planted in our Harvest Market garden. More on that later.)
So I pulled out a recipe from one of our favorite chefs, Colton Soelberg, and went to work on a potato au gratin.
For those of you who don’t know Colton, you MUST get yourself down to Pizzeria 712 in Orem immediately. Before P712, Colton and his partner Joseph McRae, were chefs at Sundance. They are the real deal. Long before it was popular, Colton and Joseph were supporting local producers and turning Utah cheese, veggies, fruits and meats into sublime meals.
Since I had some Rockhill Peppercorn Gouda in the fridge and those beautiful potatoes, I improvised slightly on Colton’s original recipe. So here it is, with my interpretation. – JH
Peppercorn Potato Au Gratin
Colton Soelberg, Pizzeria 712
8 russet potatoes-peeled, slice thin (I used blue and French fingerling)
2 C. Rockhill Creamery Farmhouse Gouda, grated (I used Peppercorn Gouda)
3/4 C. heavy cream (fresh from the “girls,” thank you very much!)
1 T. fresh thyme, chopped
S&P
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl mix potatoes, cream, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Lightly grease a casserole dish with some olive oil. Begin layering potatoes into dish taking care to change directions with each layer. On each layer sprinkle a little bit of the grated cheese. Once the dish is full press down with your hands and pour remaining cream mixture over the top. Cover with foil and bake covered for 1 hour or until it is easily pierced with a knife. Remove foil and return to oven for 20 minutes for the top to brown. Let cool slightly before cutting.
