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I love artichokes. The family isn’t keen on them when they are sliced on a pizza, or tossed in a salad (yum) but in an easy casserole they become magical.
We have finally hit chilly weather here in Texas. The leaves on Marc’s maple tree out front are changing to crimson, allowing us to pretend we are in New England. We build fires in the dining room fireplace nearly every night now, giving us a cozy ambiance as we eat dinner and relax to the crackling sounds, the flicker of the fire, and the warmth it emits. It is one of the things I love about this house, the fireplace in the kitchen/dining room.
Couple that ambiance with a steaming casserole, a loaf of french bread, a crisp salad, and maybe a pear crisp …add an after dinner espresso with a perfect chocolate truffle on the side..Well couldn’t you at least imagine you were in the French countryside? I could!
Try this casserole in that menu and see what you think. You can assemble it ahead and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. You can also use it as a side dish to roast chicken or pork.
Artichoke, Portabella, and Potato Gratin
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large artichokes (or 2 cans of marinated artichoke hearts)
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold, red skinned, or other thin skinned potatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 large portabella mushroom caps, thinly sliced
- 8 ozs cream cheese or mascarpone cheese cut in small chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup cream (or half and half..but I like cream better)
- 1 white onion, sliced in rings and sweated in butter until transparent.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. To trim artichoke, add the juice from half a lemon to a large bowl of cold water. Cut off the artichoke’s stem; rub cut surface with the other lemon half. Peel off all the leaves. Cut off top one inch of artichoke. Using a spoon with a serrated edge, scrape out the fibrous choke from the center. Rub the artichoke all over with lemon and drop it into lemon water. Drain before using.
Or….Use the canned marinated ones.
Slice artichoke hearts. Arrange half of potatoes in dish, covering bottom completely. Top with half of artichoke hearts and half of mushrooms. Sprinkle half of cream cheese over. Sprinkle with half of garlic, salt, and pepper, then 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Cover with remaining mushrooms, then artichokes, cream cheese, garlic, 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Top with remaining potatoes. Pour cream over; arrange onions over top. Cover dish with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. Sprinkle top with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake uncovered until potatoes are tender and top is brown, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.
Serves 6-8
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