The Perfect Winter Dish: Butternut Gratin

By GadgetGirl

Mimi Thorisson, a big-city girl from Hong Kong, becomes an accidental blogger and chatelaine in rural France and falls head over heels in love with cooking in the process. Take a look at a comforting and delicious recipe from her new book, A Kitchen in France.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large), peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Comté cheese
• A few fresh chives, finely chopped

Details

Adapted from house beautiful.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Butter a 10-inch baking dish.

3. In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 4 minutes. Add the squash slices and nutmeg and cook until slightly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Transfer the squash mixture to the baking dish. Pour the cream all over, sprinkle the bread crumbs and cheese on top, and dot with the remaining butter.

5. Bake until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve the gratin immediately, sprinkled with the chives.

WE GAVE IT A TASTE, HERE ARE WHAT OUR EDITORS THINK
"If I were cooking this again, I'd slice the squash with a mandoline — I did it by hand! I used a generous amount of salt and pepper to season, and the results were bright and flavorful." —Lora Yoon, Associate Market Editor

"I made my own bread crumbs from a day-old baguette I had lying around, which gave the topping a nice toothsome crunch. The next morning, I put a poached egg over the leftovers and ate them for breakfast!" —Melissa Colgan, Market Editor