| Potato and Celery-Root Gratin with Smoked Trout |
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I love making this dish for weekend lunch. It's great for
any meal of the day, but making it for lunch reminds me of
my childhood. My Dad brought home a smoked fish wrapped in
newspaper, and my Mom sautéed thinly sliced potatoes.
We got all messy taking the fish apart, and the house
smelled smoky and salty. It was pure heaven. The recipe
below is a delicious, but more civilized rendition of our
traditional Sunday feast. You won't be to your elbow in
smoked fish, but won't miss out on the flavor. Tips: Slicing potatoes and celery-root is much faster and easier with a Japanese Benriner or other adjustable-blade slicer. Benriner is available in Oriental stores and Kitchen Etc. If you don't have celery-root, you can substitute it with potatoes. You can also substitute smoked trout with other smoked fish. Sides: Fresh cucumber and tomato salad. |
| Serves 4 - 5 |
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| Ingredients | Directions |
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1 Tbsp butter |
Preheat oven to 375F. Butter a 13*9*2 glass dish or other shallow 3-quart glass or ceramic baking dish. |
|
2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 yellow onions, sliced 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp sugar |
Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter. When the butter melts and foams, add the onions, salt and sugar. Sauté stirring occasionally until the onions are golden brown, 8-10 minutes. |
|
1 Lb smoked trout 2 Tbsp parsley chopped |
Remove the skin from trout and discard. Break up fillets with your fingers into small bits. When the onions are golden brown, remove the pan from heat, stir in trout and parsley. |
|
1 1/2 Lb celery-root 2 Lb Yukon gold potatoes |
Peel celery-root with a knife. Half or quarter it
to fit your slicer. Peel potatoes with a peeler. Slice celery-root and potatoes into 1/8" thick slices using a slicer or a knife. Arrange one third of potato and celery-root slices in the buttered baking dish. Spread half of trout mixture. Arrange another third of potato and celery-root slices. Spread the rest of trout mixture. Finish with the last third of potatoes and celery root. Set your baking dish into a bigger baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. The dish will get very bubbly in the over and having another dish underneath will prevent potential mess in your oven. Covering the safety sheet with aluminum foil will save you the work of washing another baking sheet since you can just through away the foil. If a large backing sheet is not available, just put aluminum foil under your dish in the oven. |
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1 cup heavy cream 2 cups milk (2% or whole) 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper |
Mix cream, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium pot and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Pour evenly over potatoes. Cover the dish tightly with buttered aluminum foil. Bake gratin in middle of oven 45 minutes. Uncover and bake, until top is golden, about 30 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes. |
| 2 Tbsp parsley and/or dill, chopped | Sprinkle with herbs and serve. |