Potato Broccoli Casserole
The potato is one of the most versatile vegetables. Whether salad, mashed or, as in today’s recipe, gratin, the super tuber can simply do everything. Combined with fresh broccoli and spicy bacon, simply no one can resist this gratin!
There are usually three different types of potatoes available in stores: waxy, predominantly waxy and floury. Most recipes call for a specific type in order to get the consistency of the dish correct. However, for a gratin, you can use all types in principle. However, I have had better experiences with floury potatoes, as they cook faster.
In this recipe, the tubers are not precooked, but cut into very thin slices and cooked directly in the oven. If you are not sure of your knife skills, a slicer is a very good alternative to get evenly thin slices.
The light sauce is similar to a béchamel in its preparation, i.e. it is based on a roux. To make it, heat butter until it foams and then stir in flour. Let it boil briefly and then deglaze with milk, stirring vigorously. Add cream and spices and bring to a boil. Stir constantly, because experience shows that milk burns quickly! When the sauce has thickened properly, it is spread over the casserole and it goes into the oven.
Since the gratin has to bake for about 60 minutes because of the raw potatoes, I like to cover the dish with aluminum foil. The last 15 minutes I simply remove it. That way, the top layer doesn’t brown too quickly.
Have fun cooking!
Potato Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes floury cooking
- 500 g broccoli
- 150 g bacon
- 300 ml milk
- 200 ml cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 pinch of nutmeg
- salt pepper
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut into very thin slices. Wash broccoli and divide into bite-sized pieces. Layer with the bacon in a baking dish.
- Preheat oven to 160 °C convection oven.
- Melt butter in a pot. Add flour and sweat briefly. Deglaze with milk and stir vigorously. Add cream and spices as well and bring to a boil. Pour thickened sauce over potatoes.
- Bake in oven for about 60 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.
