The kale just keeps coming. It seems like a bunch of the hearty greens have been tucked inside my CSA box every week since spring. I’ve braised it and sauteed it, blitzed the raw leaves into smoothies and pesto, and massaged the bitter greens into a softer, kinder salad.
A recent invitation to a picnic-themed potluck prompted me to think egg casserole (It had been nearly 18 months since I’d had an opportunity to take my insulated carrier anywhere), but using a boil and bake method that food writer Deborah Madison shares in her keeper of a cookbook, “The Savory Way” (Bantam Books, 1990).
Madison’s Potato and Kale Gratin is a simple recipe in which the veggies, after taking separate turns in boiling water, are layered in a gratin dish, covered with cream and baked until the liquid has been absorbed and the edges form a golden crust.
The day I made the dish, I didn’t have cream on hand. I did have whole milk, as well as eggs and cheese. The latter two extend the dish and make it substantive enough to serve as a vegetarian main. Whereas Madison layers the vegetables, similar to assembling lasagna, I combined everything in a large bowl before transferring the mixture to a casserole. The dish is still a pretty picture when you pull it from the oven, and it’s easy to cut into squares for serving.
I’m partial to eating it at room temperature, especially as 90-degree days become the norm. A spoonful of salsa on top isn’t a bad idea either.
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Credit: Ligaya Figueras
Adapted from a recipe in “The Savory Way” by Deborah Madison (Bantam Books, 1990).
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