Swiss Chard Gratin
I decided to do a bit more searching for the elusive recipe of creamed swiss chard. This isn’t it either, but looks good as a side dish none the less:
- ½ cup toasted or stale coarse breadcrumbs
- 2 Tbs. unsalted butter; more for coating the gratin pan
- 1 cup half-and-half or whole milk (you can use heavy cream, but I don’t like the taste)
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed but in-tact
- 3 strips bacon (~2½ oz.)
- 1 bunch(~1lb) Swiss chard, washed and drained, stems removed and cut crosswise into ¼” slices, leaves cut into ½” wide ribbons (should yield almost 3 cups stems and 7 to 8 cups leaves)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Butter a shallow 6-cup ceramic dish.
- Melt half the butter and toss it with the breadcrumbs; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the milk and garlic to a boil (watch that it doesn’t boil over), immediately lower the heat, and simmer vigorously for 5 minutes; should be reduced to about ¾ cup. Take the pan off the heat and remove the garlic cloves with a slotted spoon. Let the cream cool slightly, stirring occasionally to loosen. Season it with a few grinds of fresh pepper and sea salt.
- Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp and browned. With tongs, transfer it to paper towels; crumble when cool. Leave the bacon fat in pan (if there’s more than 2 Tbs., drain a little off). Add the remaining butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add the chard stems and sauté them over medium to medium-high heat until they’re somewhat softened and browned on the edges; this takes about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the chard leaves and sauté until all the leaves are wilted, about 2 minutes (you can add the leaves in two batches for easier handling.) Use tongs to transfer the contents of the pan to the gratin dish (leave behind any excess liquid in the sauté pan).
- Sprinkle the crumbled bacon and then the cheese over the chard. Pour the seasoned cream over all and top with the buttered breadcrumbs. Bake for 25 minutes; the gratin will be brown and bubbly. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6.
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