Root Vegetable Gratin and Hosting a Dinner Party
Confession time. I have a bit of a girl crush on Ina Garten. She has my dream job: she owns a gourmet food store and basically hosts parties for a living. I adore how much she loves her husband and how vocal she is about making her home a warm and inviting place. She is intelligent, runs the successful Barefoot Contessa empire, yet remains approachable and welcoming. Plus she lives in the Hamptons.
While I cannot actually be Ina, I can learn a thing or two from her. One thing she excels at is hosting a dinner party. Here are some tips from Ina and from my many attempts at hosing:
Tip #1: Plan, Plan, Plan
Like most things in life, preparation is always key. At least a week before the party I finalize my menu. From there I make a detailed grocery list, cross checked with the menu to ensure that I have not forgotten something. As my husband can attest, when I fail to properly plan he has to drive to the store at least once the morning of the party to pick up things I have forgotten. This just adds unnecessary stress!
It helps to go one step further than just the menu and grocery list. First I plan my week. What dishes can be made in advance? For those that can I plan exactly when I will make those dishes, whether they can be refrigerated or need to be frozen. I also make sure I include time to clean the house in advance of the party.
Lastly I plan to the minute (or at least ½ hour) the hours leading up to the party. It looks something like this:
5:00 preheat oven to 350°F
5:15 put roast in oven
6:00 Put gratin in oven
6:45 check on roast
7:40 put Brussels sprouts in oven
8:00 carve meat and plate the food
When planning your agenda, start with the time you actually want to eat and work backwards from there. Planning in advance takes away much of the stress of hosting and reduces the chance of forgetting something.
Tip #2: Let your Family be the Guinea Pigs
I love trying new recipes and being creative in the kitchen. However, a dinner party is not the time to do so. Make sure when you are hosting an event that you are serving recipes that you are familiar with and you know will work!
Tip #3: Keep it Simple
Its important when you are hosting that you are able to greet your guests, that you socialize and enjoy your company. You can’t do that if you are stressed out and bogged down in the kitchen. So don’t plan a menu that requires excessive preparation just before dinner. If that means re-purposing some store-bought items, so be it.
The way I ensure that I am a good host is to include in my menu several items that can be made in advance and I ensure that everything that can be prepared ahead of time is. Most desserts can be prepared a day or two in advance, some even earlier. Your table can be set as early as you like. And dishes like this Root Vegetable Gratin can be made entirely the day before and just need to be put in the oven on the day of.
Speaking of which- this is an excellent side to serve at your next dinner party. It is easy to make, can be made almost entirely in advance and actually benefits from sitting for a day. Oh and have I mentioned, it’s delicious. Creamy and comforting! If you wanted to make this more than 2 or 3 days in advance I would freeze the dish and make sure that you take it out a day in advance to defrost it.
Note: Ina calls for 2 ½ cups of cream and only a ½ cup of chicken broth. I chose to instead include mascarpone cheese and I decreased the chicken broth to account for the increased heavy nature of the cheese. Ina also indicates that the dish takes 1 ½ hours in the oven but I found this was actually closer to 2 hours.
Now all I need is a house in the Hamptons!
Root Vegetable Gratin
Adapted from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)
Serves 8 to 10 as a side dish
2 tbsp olive oil
1 ½ cups sliced yellow onion (1 large onion)
2 cups fennel, core removed and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 pound celery root, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 cup mascarpone cheese (see note)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (6 ounces with rind)
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ½ cups coarse fresh bread crumbs, crusts removed
2 to 3 tbsp melted butter
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 13×10 x 2 ½ inch baking dish.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large (12 inch) sauté pan over medium heat, add the onion and fennel and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and tender. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Meanwhile, in a very large bowl (the largest one you have!), combine the onion mixture, sweet potatoes, celery root, potatoes, cheeses, broth, thyme, 1 tbsp salt and 1 ½ tsp of pepper. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and press lightly so the vegetables lie flat all the way to the edge.
Combine the bread crumbs and 2-3 tbsp of melted butter and distribute evenly on top.
Bake uncovered for 1 ½ hours, or until the vegetables are very tender when tested with a small knife and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 15 minutes and serve hot.