Stilton, Smoked bacon and vegetable gratin

Recently I put out a request for chefs to share some recipes that we can use on the website and on the podcast. Scott has stepped up the plate and has come up with this delicious Stilton, smoked bacon and vegetable gratin

Scott say's this is a great recipe for using whatever is good at the allotment at anyone time so this means we can adapt the recipe as we go through the growing season so during the summer, we might be using things like courgettes, early potatoes and beans,

Then as we move into the autumn and winter months, we can be using our squash, pumpkins and celeriac.

It can be eaten as a side or as a stand-alone meal during the summer I like to eat it as a stand-alone meal with a nice fresh salad and zingy dressing to cut through the richness and during the colder months I like to pair it with slow cooked stews for some serious winter comfort food.

You can also play about with the type of cheese you use, or it can work well as a plant-based dish by removing the bacon and replacing the cheese & cream with plant-based alternatives.

Ingredients

500g thinly sliced potatoes I used second early

500g thinly sliced kohlrabi

100g sliced courgettes

250g cauliflower in small florets

250g leafy greens I used chard and perpetual spinach

1 large onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic finely diced

5 rashers of smoked streaky bacon sliced into lardons

1 sprig of rosemary finely chopped

150g crumbled stilton

50g grated cheddar

70g bread crumbs

100ml white wine

900ml of double cream.

Method

Once we have all the ingredients together, we can start by adding the bacon to a sauce pan with a tbsp. of oil and cook on a medium high heat until crispy then remove it from the pan and set aside

Now add the onion, garlic and rosemary to the same pan and sweat them down for 5 minutes on a medium low heat so the onions are softened but not coloured then add the bacon back to the pan and turn the heat up on the pan and add the wine and reduce by half.

Next add the cream to the pan and on a low heat bring to a gentle simmer but do not boil.

Meanwhile in a separate pan of boiling water we want to blanch the leafy greens do this by placing the greens in rapidly boiling water for 1 minuet then drain and run under cold water until completely cool then give them a squeeze to get rid of excess water.

We can now start to assemble the gratin by layering the vegetables in a baking dish alternating the layers with leafy greens and vegetables now pour over the cream mixture and top with the stilton, cheddar and breadcrumbs. You may have excess cream mixture left over this can be frozen and used at a later date.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius for 40 minuets or until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown

Stilton, smoked bacon and vegetable gratin.

I want to thank Scott for this recipe and I look forward to seeing many more recipes from Scott.

At the time of posting this recipe I haven't tried this recipe but my mouth is already watering at the thought of it and its one we shall certainly be cooking this week