Pimento-Cheese Potato Gratin
- Course: Side Dish
Summary:
Food writers Matt and Ted Lee take a double-pepper approach to these potatoes with that familiar pimento-cheese charm. The recipe remains a popular standout in their 2009 cookbook, "The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes With Down-Home Flavor."
The recipe can be doubled easily.
6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled or unpeeled and scrubbed well), cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 medium shallots, cut into fine dice (scant 3/4 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 9 ounces jarred roasted red peppers or piquillo peppers, with their liquid
- 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)
Directions:
Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees. Have a 6-cup-capacity, broiler-safe baking dish or casserole at hand.
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt; when it has dissolved, add the potatoes; cook for 10 minutes, then drain.
Meanwhile, combine the cream, shallots, crushed red pepper flakes, the remaining teaspoon of salt, the black pepper and 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar of roasted peppers in a medium saucepan over medium heat; do not let it come to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until the crushed red pepper flakes have begun to color the cream.
Stir in half of the cheese until it melts, then remove the saucepan from the heat.
Layer about a third of the potatoes in the baking dish or casserole, overlapping them slightly so they fit in an even layer. Scatter half of the roasted peppers on top of the potatoes, cutting up any peppers that have remained whole so that they lie flat. Repeat to use all of the peppers and potatoes, ending with a layer of potatoes.
Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and peppers, agitating the dish to distribute the liquid throughout. Cover tightly with aluminum foil; bake on the lower oven rack for 15 minutes, then transfer to the stovetop (off the heat).
Preheat the broiler.
Uncover the baking dish or casserole; sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the top. Place the baking dish or casserole on the top oven rack; broil for about 8 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned on top.
Let the gratin sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern: Knockout Dishes With Down-Home Flavor" (Clarkson Potter, 2009).
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post)
