Swiss Chard and Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese

Another one from the book Dinner at Your Door - Tips and Recipes for Starting a Neighborhood Cooking Co-op. 

This was delicious!  I could not stop eating it.  No photos - next time!  And there will be a next time.  I adapted the recipe to make one pan and I clarified some of the instructions.

The garlicky bread crumb topping was fantastic and this smelled phenomenal when it was baking.  There is a Swiss Chard Spanakopita recipe in this book as well.  Used copies are available on Amazon - check it out.

Bring on the Swiss Chard!

Swiss Chard and Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese

Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds yukon gold or other thin-skinned waxy potatoes (I used the rose skinned yellow potatoes that were on sale at Marcs - shaped like small baking potatoes)

3 T butter

1 onion, sliced (I used Vidalia)

3 cloves, garlic, minced

1 1/2# swiss chard, stems and leaves chopped, separately (fold in half over the stem and cut off the leaves, chop; then chop the stems separately)

6 oz goat cheese, crumbled (if you are making several recipes calling for goat cheese, Sam's Club sells a 16 oz log that works perfectly and is reasonably priced)

1 T salt

Gratin Topping

1 1/2 T butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 c whole wheat bread crumbs (whirl a couple pieces/the heels of bread in food processor)

Sauce:

1 1/2 T butter

1 1/2 T flour

1 1/2 c hot milk (whole preferably, do not use non-fat)

S&P

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Parboil potatoes in skins til barely tender, cool and slice into 1/4# slices. (took 25 minutes or so - I then used a silicone potholder to hold and sliced lengthwise on my V-slicer).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Heat butter in large soup pot over medium heat.  Saute onions, garlic and only half of chard stems til nearly soft.  Stir occasionally til leaves are uniformly wilted and bright green.  Remove from heat.  Stir cheese into chard mixture and season to taste with salt. (You can do this step while the potatoes are cooking).

Topping:  Heat butter in large saute pan over medium.  Saute garlic a minute or so then add bread crumbs, stirring constantly for a minute.  Remove and place in bowl.

Wipe out large skillet and melt butter over low heat.  Stir in flour and cook for a minute, stirring so it doesn't brown.  Whisk in hot milk and cook over medium 6-10 minutes til thickened.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Stir sauce into chard mix. (I poured over the top of everything after I layered and it was fine).

Assemble: Layer half of chard mix into 9x13 or oval gratin dish.  Layer all of the potatoes on top of chard.  Place remaining chard on potatoes and top with bread crumbs.  Bake for 25-30 minutes til bubbling and golden on top.