This Potato Sage Butternut Squash Au Gratin is a nice twist on the classic au gratin. The butternut squash brings a lighter quality to the typical potato only au gratins. The Panko adds a nice crunch to the mix while the sage flavor bomb brings on a whole new level of deliciousness.
I’ve had a new exciting inspirational idea pop up. It’s something that will take a long time due to the many components involved and the new skill sets I will need to develop. But that is the fun part for me. At this point, I’m not sure whether it will be something I share or not. I’ll have to see how it goes. I was listening to a video where a woman asked, “what have you been dreaming about doing but are too scared to do?” I never have had a dream that I wished I could do. What normally happens to me is I get an idea and then all of a sudden a huge wave of inspiration comes over me. I become compelled to move full force to accomplish it. It’s as if I have no choice in the matter. This happened when I started my restaurant. I was working at a newly opened hotel that was poorly run. One day, I had this huge push to start my own cafe. I told my dad, he said he would be able to help me and then it was on! It took about 6 months to remodel and then I ran it for 3 1/2 years.
When I started my skincare line, I couldn’t find any skincare that was all organic with minimal ingredients so I started to research everything I could find on essential oils and skincare. I ended up creating a whole new line for the face and body. A friend joined in and we created a booklet with our products and started doing skincare parties. This lasted for a couple of years.
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My friend Ang and I thought up and designed a really cool accessory item. I came up with the initial idea and then she added to it. This went back and forth until we perfected it. We developed a business plan, spec sheets, line sheets, samples and packaging. It never got off the ground because we both ended up moving but we learned so much. One of the things we learned was Photoshop and Illustrator, which ended up helping me in my future ventures such as my food photography. One thing is for sure, everything you learn ends up helping with the other things you do in the future.
This gratin pairs nicely with a Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, Verdejo, Rose, Pinot Noir or a Red Rioja.
Potato Sage Butternut Squash Au Gratin - CaliZona
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Pounds Russet Potatoes - 1/8 inch slices about 5 cups sliced
- 1 Pound Butternut Squash - 1/8 inch slices about 4 cups sliced I had a 3 1/2 lb squash and used the neck only
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Cloves Garlic - minced
- 2 Tablespoons White Rice Flour
- 4 1/2 Cups Half & half
- 2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese - shredded
- 1 1/2 Cups Pecorino - finely shredded - divided
- 1 Cup Asiago Cheese - finely shredded
- 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt
- 1 Recipe Sage Flavor Bomb - recipe below
- 1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs GF recipe below or store-bought
- 1 Bunch Sage Leaves
Sage Flavor Bomb
- 1 Cup loosely packed Fresh Sage
- 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed
- 1/4 Teaspoons Sea Salt or to taste
Panko Bread Crumbs
- 2 Cups Srsly Sourdough Bread = 1/2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs - store-bought or homemade recipe below
Instructions
Potatoes, Squash and Panko
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Thinly slice the potatoes in a food processor or with a mandolin or knife. Cut into 1/8 inch slices.
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Soak the potato slices in a bowl of water to remove the starch. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
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Cut the neck off the squash and carefully cut off the skin.
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Thinly slice the squash and sprinkle with a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and gently toss. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.
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If you are making gluten-free panko, start it now. If not, ignore steps 6 - 11
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Preheat oven to 250 degrees
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Tear the bread into small pieces.
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In a food processor, add the torn bread and pulse until it resembles a fine crumb.
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Spread out in a thin layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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Bake for 10 minutes and stir and evenly spread it out.
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Bake for 10 more minutes. If crispy, you can remove and let cool completely. If it has any moisture, put it back in until all the moisture is gone. I do 5 minutes at a time.
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Arrange the squash on paper towels with another on top to remove excess moisture.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil, strain the water from the potatoes and add to the boiling water.
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Set the timer for 3 minutes then strain.
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You will need to pat them dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels to remove excess water.
Cheese Sauce
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Grate the cheese and set aside a half cup of pecorino.
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Add the garlic and butter to a large heavy straight-sided pan over medium-low heat.
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When the butter is melted, stir until the garlic is lightly cooked.
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Stir in the flour and slowly whisk in the half and half a little at a time. The flour will seize up until there is enough half and half.
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When it loosens up, you can add the rest of the half and half.
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As soon as the half and half become hot, add a little cheddar at a time whisking continually. Continue with the other cheese.
Assembly
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Preheat oven to 375
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Spread a cup of the cream sauce on the bottom of a 2 1/2 or 3-quart casserole dish. (It will depend on the size of your dish to how many layers you will have. I used a large one in the photos and had 3 layers of potatoes and 3 space layers of squash. In a smaller dish, I had 4 layers of potatoes.)
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Remove one more cup of sauce and set aside.
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Arrange a layer of potatoes by dipping each slice into the sauce, drizzle on a little more cream sauce, arrange the squash layers with space in between.
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Spoon some cream onto the squash.
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Repeat once more.
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Drizzle the sage flavor bomb or pesto evenly and layer another layer of potatoes dipped in the sauce.
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Arrange the last of the squash with space in between.
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Drizzle on the remaining cup of sauce and anything left over.
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Bake covered for 35 minutes on the middle rack.
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Sprinkle the remaining reserved cheese over potatoes and then the panko or hazelnuts.
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Spread out the sage leaves over the top.
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Bake uncovered 35 minutes longer or until the top is brown and bubbly.
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Let sit in a warm place for 10 minutes before serving so that liquids will set.
Variations
Ingredients
- Toasted Hazelnuts
- 1/2 Cup Toasted Hazelnuts – ground
Sage Toasted Walnut Pesto – About 1 Cup
- 1 Cups Fresh Sage
- 1/2 Cup Toasted Walnuts
- 1/2 Cup Asiago Cheese
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1/4 Teaspoons Sea Salt or to taste
Instructions
Hazelnuts
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
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Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 – 14 minutes. In about 5 – 7 minutes stir the nuts so they toast evenly while also checking on the progress.
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When hazelnuts are cool, put them in the center of a kitchen towel and pull the corners of the towel together and roll hazelnuts around with some force till skins come loose. A small amount of skin will remain on the nuts and that is fine.
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If you want, you can separate out the ones that the skins didn’t come off and put them back in the oven for a few more minutes.
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In a food processor, grind hazelnuts into a fine crumble and set aside.
Sage Pesto
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees
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Spread out the walnuts on a baking sheet.
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Roast walnuts until they start to brown and smell toasted about 7 to 10 minutes.
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Make sure and check them frequently so they don’t burn. Cool completely
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While walnuts are toasting, shred the cheese and pick the leaves off sage stems then measure and add them to a food processor or blender along with cheese, oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt.
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When walnuts are completely cool add and puree until desired texture.
