Sausage, White Bean, and Spinach Gratin

In the past couple of years, particularly in winter, I have grown very fond of white beans.  I usually stock up on three different kinds/sizes...white kidney beans (also called canneli beans), navy beans and great northern beans.  Any time I try a new recipe or start tweaking one I make frequently, I tend to add an extra can.  I can image one day my chicken chili will have more beans than it does now and probably no chicken.  Beans are a good source of protein, but they are also filling and stay nice and hot on a cold winter's night.  I see more experiments with beans in my future, especially in dips which will transition to summer well.

This recipe is similar to another one I make, but this one is a gratin.  I also like this recipe because of the addition of spinach as it adds more color and satisfies my desire for greens in winter.  The recipe is based on the Keepers cookbook by Brennan and Campion.  It is a simple recipe to put together and not very time consuming, so great for a quick meal.

Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Gratin
Serves 6

3/4 cup of breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper
3 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
several handfuls of spinach

Preheat oven to 425F.  Combine the breadcrumbs and butter in a small bowl.  Season with salt.  In a large skillet which can also transfer to the oven, heat the olive oil.  Add the sausage.  Break up the sausage while browning.  Once brown, transfer the sausage to a bowl and set aside.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Add the onions and garlic, stir occasionally until onions are soft.  Add the tomato paste and thyme.  Stir until fragrant (about half a minute).  Add the wine and simmer to deglaze for about 2 minutes or until nearly evaporated.  Add the broth and simmer. Add the beans, sausage and any juices from the bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer until heated throughout and some of the liquid has been absorbed. (It still will be juicy, but not so much that there is more liquid than solids.) Remove from heat and add the 5-6 handfuls of spinach.  Check seasonings again.  Sprinkle the top with bread crumb mixture.  Bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown (about 15 minutes).  Remove from oven and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.  This dish reheats well.

Creamy Garlic Potatoes - Gratin Style

I love gratins.  Simply put, but they are so easy to change and as long as your combinations take into consideration how thick it is, how much fat there is and liquid as well, you can make nearly anything into a gratin of sorts.  I first remember eating gratins when I was a child.  My mom called them scalloped potatoes, but I later learned of them as gratins.  My mom used to make scalloped potatoes with ham chunks in them.  I used to search for the crunchy top and the little chunks of ham.  I loved the while dish, but those two things made eating the scalloped potatoes so much more fun and interesting.  She also served them piping hot.  To this day food and drinks are not hot enough if I am unable to burn my tongue on them.  Of course I let them cool down, but I can stand quite a high temperature and those first few bites aren't always about the taste, but about the heat.

Later I remember making gratin potatoes when I lived in Germany.  I was visiting a friend of a friend and she was making them for dinner.  I helped out and remember the oodles of cheese and cream which were added to the potatoes with a touch of nutmeg.  It was such an interesting place to cook as it was an old farmhouse, heated with fire burning stoves.  The kitchen was huge, but had few work spaces, so the kitchen table became the place to put everything together, which made for a very social area for chatting while helping to cook.

So with those memories in mind, this gratin tends to be quite sweet with all the cream that is used.  The garlic also sweetens up in the roasting, so I would recommend a bit of cheese on top as the salt helps balance everything out.

Creamy Garlic Potatoes - Gratin Style

(based on Cook in a class of your own by Richard Bertinet)

8 medium potatoes

5 cloves garlic

parsley

4 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups heavy cream

sharp cheddar (shredded for sprinkling on top)

Preheat oven to 400F.  Use a mandoline and thinly cut all the potatoes.  Press or chop the garlic.  Chop the parsley.  Heat olive oil in a sauce pan.  Once hot add the potato slices and make sure all are tossed with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Once coated in oil, add the garlic and pour in cream to cover the potatoes.  Let thicken over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and place into a large baking dish.  (I used my oven roasting pan as I like a thin layer so the potatoes cook quicker, but you can use any size.)  Bake until golden brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese over the top.  Return to oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese.  Remove from oven and let cook for a few minutes before serving as everything should be very hot.