Turnip & Kale Gratin

Gratin is such a classy comfort food, it’s French for crying out loud! The creamy and rich dish is so perfect for winter… and right now, it is COLD out. So some sort of comfort food was in order, but I had to clean it up a bit – ingredient-wise.

I’ve been on a slight turnip kick lately … turns out they’re way more versatile than I ever thought. While I love potato gratin, I wanted to try it with turnips since they are much lower in carbs. I do eat cheese (in moderation), and used a little parmesan cheese in this which really kicks it up a notch, for vegans – nutritional yeast should work well here. I also used coconut milk as my non-dairy milk of choice, simply because it’s creamier than your average almond milk… but either would be great. And then… KALE! I had to add some kale, guys – between the boost of vitamins and that color… it fits in perfectly here. The outcome was a rich, decadent gratin I can be proud to in fact call a gratin.

I served this for a chilly weekend brunch, and it was very fitting for the occasion. It’s pretty simple to make, and can even be made ahead (just shave some time off of the last bake and store in the fridge, finish it off for 15 minutes in the oven the next day!). I also dressed the table with this gorgeous bouquet from The Bouqs, which really took it to the next level. This was a brunch scene for the books! I recommend pairing with eggs, a chickpea mash, salad or alongside a soup even! I used my cast iron pan for this, but a casserole dish would work well too.

“Campfire” Bouquet from The Bouqs

Ingredients

• 6 medium sized turnips, sliced very thin with a mandolin (I used the 2nd to smallest setting)
• 5 cups kale (torn, no stems)
• ½ medium yellow onion, sliced
• 3 tbsp butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk or creamy almond milk
• dash nutmeg
• dash paprika
• salt, pepper
• ¾ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for topping (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat the oven to 450f degrees. Slice turnips and set aside, grease a cast iron skillet or casserole dish with a little soft butter or oil.
2. Add your first turnip layer to the dish, the slices should be overlapping and cover the bottom of the dish completely. Season the layer with salt and pepper, then add 2-3 more layers (that should be all of it), seasoning as you go.
3. Cover the dish with tin foil and place in the oven on the middle rack for approx. 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add the 3 tbsp butter and onion slices over medium heat. Saute for approximately 3-4 minutes, then add the kale pieces and continue to cook until all kale is wilted (stir with a wooden spoon).
5. Add: milk, nutmeg, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and continue to stir over medium-low heat. Continue to stir.
6. After the turnips are out of the oven, set aside and pour the kale-milk mixture over the turnips, cover the dish and place back into the oven and continue to cook for approx. 20-25 minutes.
7. Take the dish out of the oven and sprinkle with extra cheese if you’d like, and paprika for color. Leave it uncovered and add back into the oven until lightly browned (approx. 10-15 more minutes). Serve!

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Hope you enjoy!
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**Alison