Autumn Harvest Gratin

By devogirl

I like to make this gratin when the first chill of autumn set in and the welcome fragrance of baking vegetables frill the house. The gratin combines white and sweet potatoes with carrots and parsnips, along with end-of-summer favorites: fennel, tomato and bell pepper. A light sprinkling of pecans on top adds texture and flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onions, minced (1 cup)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, minced (2/3 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• salt and pepper
• 1 ripe tomato, diced (3/4 cup)
• 1 large sweet potato, thinly sliced (3 cups)
• 1 large russet potato, thinly sliced (2 1/3 cup)
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (3 cups)
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced(1/2 cup)
• 1 parsnip, thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup ground pecans

Details

Servings 4
Cooking time 65mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly oil a 1 1/2 quart gratin dish or shallow baking dish and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sprinkle on the thyme, basil and sage. Cover and cook to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and season to taste with salt ad pepper. Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor, add the tomato, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

In the prepared gratin dish, arrange layers of sweet potato, russet potato, fennel, carrot, and parsnip, overlapping and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper as you layer the veggies. Pour on the reserved onion mix. Cover tightly with foil and bake until the veggies are tender, about 55 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with pecans and bake uncovered for 10 minutes longer to toast the pecans. Serve hot.