Chard Gratin: the healthy/creamy dinner

So I told a friend a while ago that I'd post this recipe, so here goes.

T- and I decided to do a CSA (community supported agriculture) this winter season. I read about it over winter break and thought, neat! We eat basically all organic anyways, we try and eat in season, it'd be nice if we could eat local.

So we found a wonderful CSA in San Antonio, and it was great! We got a lot of vegetables every week, and they were all organic and local. But we started getting a CRAP ton of greens...I mean we had more chard in our fridge than I knew what to do with (weird considering I didn't even know chard existed a year ago). Anyways--I started googling what to do with chard and I came across this nytimes recipe for Swiss Chard and Chard Stalk gratin.





So I figured I'd give it a whirl. All I had done with chard up until then was saute it with lemon and garlic, or with orange juice (tasty!). It can be kind of bitter if its overcooked...so I was a little worried. But this recipe turned out great! I made a few modifications the second time around, and it turned out even better. I hope you enjoy! 


Swiss Chard and Potato Gratin
Modified from the NYTimes


Preheat the oven to 425F


3-4 leaves of chard with stalk (I prefer the rainbow chard) 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 recipe olive oil béchamel (from the NYTimes -- you can use a butter based bechamel too, but this one tastes good for the gratin) 
4-6 red potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup parmesan (yep, I use Kraft's. The giant costco container. It works great) 
1/4 cup bread crumbs 


Bring a large pot of water to boil. While it's getting ready to boil do 2 things: 


1. prepare a large bowl filled with ice water. 
2. Cut the trim the leaves off the chard stalk, and cut it up, and then chop the chard stalk crosswise. 


When the water has boiled, turn it down to medium heat and blanch the chard leaves and stem, and the potatoes. You toss it in the water for like...4 minutes to enhance the flavor, and then pull it out and toss it in the ice water to immediately stop the cooking. 


One the leaves and potatoes have cooled, pull them out of the water and squeeze the remaining water out of them. You want it to be pretty dry. Then chop them up coarsely.



Then in a oven-safe dish, mix the bechamel with the greens, and the garlic. When it's well mixed, sprinkle the parmesan on top, and then the bread crumbs.

Bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes.