Swiss Chard…again…
I’m considering renaming this blog. How about “101 Things to do with Swiss Chard”? I feel like that’s what it’s turning into. However, I have discovered some quite tasty Swiss Chard recipes by virtue of having so much of it to experiment with.
My husband found this recipe, and I was definitely skeptical. See if you don’t agree with me:
Swiss Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin
See? I was skeptical. But we have plenty of Swiss chard, not to mention a HUGE sweet potato we bought at the Farmers’ Market back in October. And just think, I’m posting this just in time for you to add this dish to your Thanksgiving menu. Maybe not.
So, this recipe came from the food blog, Smitten Kitchen, home to many other tasty recipes. You can get to the full recipe here.
But basically, you take heaps of Swiss Chard, a bunch of sliced sweet potato, a nice white sauce with garlic, heaps of Swiss cheese (we used cheap cheese, not Gruyere), onion, fresh herbs, some seasonings, and layer it all together.
Here’s the onion and chard stems getting cooked in some butter and nutmeg. It’s so pretty, it has to be tasty! (The chard greens get added in too, just a bit later.)
The gratin before getting its last dose of white sauce and cheese.
Mmm…it looks so delicious in its golden brown goodness! On first bite, I thought, ‘This is totally not worth the work.’ After the first piece, I thought it would be good once a year. After we’ve eaten the whole thing, it is definitely a good dish for a Friday night or some other night you have a little more time to cook, lots of chard available, and want something warm and tasty!
Posted on November 25, 2009, in Harvesting & Eating and tagged cooking, fall garden, vegetables. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Ahha! I’ve needed this site! So glad I ran across your blog! I have so many Swiss Chard plants and I don’t know what to do with them. I can’t locate any recipes on how to cook it. This sounds fantastic. Thanks.
Becky: I linked to one earlier that I’ve been waiting to try, but so far my Swiss Chard hasn’t gotten big enough for it. (The chard saga has been a soap opera. It’s been smashed by a hailstorm, eaten by renegade ducks, dug up by stash-burying squirrels… you name it. I have reclassified chard as an ornamental in my garden. A very small ornamental.)
Just one more reason we’ll have to get together… I’d happily trade some duck eggs for some chard.
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