Sorrel and Potato Gratin

Sorrel and Potato Gratin

 

I decided to try some sorrel after spotting it at my farmer’s market last weekend. I tasted it and it had a lovely bright and sour flavor – almost like a cross between lemon and strawberries. It was a very happy flavor and I figured it would add some interesting life to anything I decided to cook this week.

What is Sorrel?

sorrel

Sorrel is a perennial herb and can easily be grown in a backyard container herb garden. Sorrel is used to flavor soups and sauces and can also be added to salads.

I decided to see if sorrel would nicely flavor a traditional potatoes au gratin dish. This turned out absolutely incredible. The sorrel imparted a lovely lemon flavor to the potatoes and cream. It turned a traditionally heavy dish into something bright for summer!

Potatoes and Sorrel Au Gratin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • small bunch fresh sorrel leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (where to buy)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper (where to buy)
  • 2 Tbsp pastured butter (where to buy)
  • 2 pounds potatoes (I used Yukon Gold but Russet would be good here too), peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Gouda cheese (where to buy)

gratin before oven

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a saucepan, heat the cream and chicken stock on medium low heat with the garlic, turmeric, and some salt and pepper. Heat until slightly bubbling at the edges – about 5 minutes.
While the cream is warming, butter an 8X8 casserole dish.
Cover the bottom with one layer of sliced potatoes. Then add a layer of sorrel leaves and cheese. Continue creating layers in this manner until you are out of potatoes.
Pour the heated cream on top of the potato slice layers. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Top with some chunks of pastured butter.

Cover the dish with a square of parchment paper and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake until potatoes are tender and cream is thick, about 20 minutes more. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

gratin 2

The sorrel will impart a lovely lemon flavor to this dish. It is subtle but it definitely makes this one a knock out. No one will know how you made such a simple dish into something spectacular! This has to be the best dish I have ever made. I think will buy more sorrel and experiment some more with it soon!

2 Comments

  1. Joe Colantuono says:

    I have made many potato casseroles this sounds great. Will try it asap

    1. I am so happy you are going to try this. It is seriously the most tasty dish I have EVER made! Enjoy!

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