Root Vegetable and Pancetta Gratin
This is a delicious vegetarian dish that does not feel vegetarian! It's hearty and satisfying and is so beautiful to look at. A great idea for a potluck!
1 lb Celery root
1 lb Sweet potatoes
1 lb Russet potatoes
1 lb Turnips
1/2 lb Beets
1 Yellow onion, medium-large
3 Garlic cloves
1 c Pancetta
1/3 c Butter (divided)
4 oz Parmesan cheese
6 oz Gruyere cheese
2 c Heavy cream
1 1/2 c Chicken stock
5 Sprigs thyme, fresh
1/4 c Parsley, fresh
1/4 c Chives, fresh
2 c Panko
3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper -- to taste
Preheat oven to 400 F
Wash and peel celery root, sweet potatoes, russet potatoes, turnips and beets and place them into the feed tube of a seven-cup food processor, fit with the slicing blade. Using the food pusher, turn unit on high and slice all of the vegetables. Next, put all of the vegetables, except for the beets, into a large bowl and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Take the sliced beets and put them on paper towels and press to release some of the beet juice to keep them from bleeding into the other vegetables.
Peel and chop garlic and onion and chop the pancetta. In a skillet on medium, heat one tablespoon of the butter and then sauté the pancetta, garlic and onion until the pancetta is crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Fit your seven-cup food processor with the shredding blade and, one at a time, put the parmesan and gruyere cheeses in the feed tube. Turn the processor on low and shred all of the cheese, keeping them separated after you've shredded them.
Pull the leaves off the sprigs of thyme. In a heavy saucepan bring cream, stock, thyme and shredded gruyere to a simmer over medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.
Next, chop the parsley and then melt three tablespoons of the remaining butter. In another bowl, add panko, parsley and parmesan cheese and cooked pancetta mixture, mix them well and set aside.
Finally, in a two-quart baking dish that has been coated with the last tablespoon of butter, begin layering the vegetables in a random fashion evenly along the bottom. Put sliced vegetables in the bottom of the dish, two layers deep. Next, pour 1/3 of the cheese sauce over the vegetables. Repeat this twice and then cover top with panko pancetta mixture. Cover with foil and bake approximately 50 to 60 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. While the gratin is cooking, roughly chop the chives. Take foil off last ten minutes to allow top to turn golden brown. Garnish with the chopped chives.
