If I’m going to convince you to buy anything for your kitchen I hope it’s a gratin dish. It’s an amazing investment that will make you a more versatile cook, as you can “gratin” just about anything. Just pour some oil and/or cream over leftover vegetables, meat, or fish; top with bread crumbs and grated cheese; bake it in the oven; and voilà!, it’s a gratin. This one in particular takes kale and a can of beans and makes a near-certain crowd-pleaser for any group. The hero is most likely the crème fraîche, but the gratin dish helps, too (I promise, it’s worth it).
Cavolo Nero Gratin
If I’m going to convince you to buy anything for your kitchen I hope it’s a gratin dish. It’s an amazing investment that will make you a more versatile cook, as you can “gratin” just about anything. Just pour some oil and/or cream over leftover vegetables, meat, or fish; top with bread crumbs and grated cheese; bake it in the oven; and voilà!, it’s a gratin. This one in particular takes kale and a can of beans and makes a near-certain crowd-pleaser for any group. The hero is most likely the crème fraîche, but the gratin dish helps, too (I promise, it’s worth it).
Ingredients
Serves 2 to 4 as a main, 4 to 6 as a side
- Butter for coating
- Salt
- 2 bunches cavolo nero Lacinato or Tuscan kale, tough stems discarded
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup crème fraîche
- 2 ounces Gruyère cheese finely grated
- 1 tablespoon untoasted dried bread crumbs
Instructions
It helps to know: This recipe requires an 8 by 12-inch gratin dish.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Coat your gratin dish with butter.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
- Once boiling, add a pinch of salt.
- Dunk the kale in the boiling water for 2 minutes to blanch.
- Drain and cool on a cutting board.
- Shake out any excess water and coarsely chop into bite-size pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the kale, beans, garlic, black pepper, and a pinch each of cayenne and salt until combined.
- Spread the mixture across the bottom of the gratin dish.
- Scoop the crème fraîche into even dollops on top of the kale.
- Top with the Gruyère, then sprinkle on the bread crumbs.
- Bake until the kale is soft and the Gruyère is brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
- Remove the dish from your oven and let the gratin rest for 10 minutes before serving.