Want to save yourself a lot of hassle and effort this Christmas? Then cook my Easy Christmas Vegetable Gratin! All the key Christmas vegetables in one dish. As a bonus this looks much more difficult than it really is…your guests will think you’ve been slaving all morning in the kitchen, when really this takes just 15 minutes prep and then just a little over an hour in the oven. Plus, if you make it in a pretty dish, you can just serve it on the table just as it is…so less washing up to do on Christmas afternoon – hoorah!! (Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a side dish)
Preheat your oven to 180C / 160C fan/ gas mark 4 / 350F.
Place the cream, milk, peeled garlic and 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme, together with a little salt and pepper in a small saucepan…gently heat until almost boiling, but do not boil. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Leave to infuse for 10 mins while you prepare the vegetables.
Layer the vegetables in a deep gratin dish, or small, deep oven dish. First put a layer of potatoes, then a layer of parsnips, then carrots, then sprouts. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, then parsnips, then carrots, then sprouts. Finally, finish with a layer of potatoes.
Remove the garlic cloves from the milk and cream mixture with a spoon and then carefully pour the mixture over the gratin, trying to cover the top of the dish evenly and ensuring you don’t pour too fast (or the cream will splash over the sides!).
Cover the dish with foil, taking care that the foil does not touch the potatoes or it may stick. Cook in the oven at 180C / 160C fan/ gas mark 4 / 350F for 1 hour.
Turn up the oven to 200C / 180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F. Take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. Sprinkle over all the cheese and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes or until brown and bubbling.
Serve scattered with the remaining thyme leaves.
Notes
Suitable for freezing.Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.