Recipe: Alice Waters's Rutabaga and Parsnip Gratin

4 servings

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and pour in:

3 tablespoons olive oil or

11/2 tablespoons olive oil and

11/2 tablespoons butter

When hot, add:

1 onion, sliced thin

Cook until the onion is soft, about 12 minutes, and add:

1 tablespoon marjoram leaves

Salt

Fresh-ground black pepper

A pinch of Marash pepper (optional)

Spoon the onion mixture into the bottom of a 5-inch baking or gratin dish.

Peel and slice thin:

1 medium rutabaga (about ½ pound)

2 small parsnips (about ½ pound)

A mandoline slicer makes this job easier. I like to make the slices about 1/8 inch thick. Cook the rutabaga slices first and then the parsnips in salted boiling water until just tender, no more than 2 minutes. Drain and when the slices are cool, layer them into the baking dish, alternating rows of overlapping slices of each vegetable. When all the slices are in, sprinkle with:

Salt

A drizzle of olive oil

Cover the gratin with a layer of parchment paper and place in the hot oven. Cook for 15 minutes, remove the paper, and cook for another 10.

Variations

• Other vegetables, such as celery root, parsley root, kohlrabi, potatoes, or turnips, may be used along with (or in place of) the rutabagas and parsnips.

• Other herbs and spices can be used instead of marjoram. Try thyme or savory or a mix of ginger, nigella seed, and cilantro. Cardamom is very nice with the sweet flavors of the vegetables.

Reprinted from The Art of Simple Food II. Copyright © 2013 by Alice Waters. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House LLC.