I now have a “big” family and so far I have to feed five people everyday (3 boys and 2 adults but my boys eat nearly like adults!). Needless to say I am looking for easy big meals which can last for a few days so I don’t spend my days slaving in the kitchen. Unfortunately I have noticed that the World Wide Web doesn’t offer so many recipes for families or big crowds. I have a great cooking book Cook up a feast by Mary Berry and Lucy Young which has recipes for 6 to 12 people but it is quite difficult to find such recipes on the Internet. Therefore my aim here is to share meals which are quite simple, require ingredients you can find in the supermarket and which are for 6 people or more.
The first recipe I want to share with you is a “gratin” or oven dish with melted cheese on top. A “gratin” is really a family dish and it is so versatile! For example you can hide your leftovers in a “gratin”, all you need is grated cheese and a bit of cream or tomato sauce! Last night I had some old potatoes, a kohlrabi and smoked trout (which I find is cheaper than smoked salmon) and Frenchie as I am, I also had grated Emmental and crème fraîche stored in my fridge.
- Peel, cut and boil the potatoes. Mash them with the crème fraîche.
https://goo.gl/photos/t5EybfqtGnNApMZz7 - Add the smoked trout or salmon to the mashed potatoes.
https://goo.gl/photos/RTYr36vgvVHL3N9j9 - Grate the kohlrabi and cook it for a few minutes in melted butter in a pan.
- Layer an oven-proof dish with the gated kohlrabi, then the mashed potatoes and smoked fish and to finish the grated cheese.
https://goo.gl/photos/vUsf5GXWFcyvAz8y9 - Grill in the oven for about 10 minutes or until golden on top.
And here you are: a delicious nutritious meal which my family loved so much, it only lasted for one dinner (not the intended goal I’m afraid!).
Note that kohlrabi is not to be found in every part of the world but you can easily replace it by pointed or white cabbage or leak. You can also use single cream or even milk and any other kind of grated cheese. I also forgot to mention that I added a squeeze of lemon juice into the mashed potatoes and smoked fish. And remember not to add too much salt because of the smoked fish which is already salty.
What about you? Which kind of “gratins” do you cook?