I am always looking for new things to do with leafy greens. At this point, I’ve done the quiche/fritatta, the pasta, the saute, the soup, etc. The only one I hadn’t done (until recently) was the casserole. I’d seen several recipes for vegetable casseroles featuring chard or kale, but none had spoken to me. That was, until I heard tell of a swiss chard gratin recipe on AEB which had become “an AEB standard”. Now, a good recipe is one thing, a stanard, go-to recipe, now that’s a whole different animal. I had to try it.

The ingredient list was remarkably minimal, besides the chard, it was all standard pantry items. I took a cue from Kevin, over at Closet Cooking and roasted up the remaining half of a butternut squash I had in my fridge to add to the mix. Besides that though, I played by AEB’s rules

Swiss Chard Gratin

a.k.a. Seafood Mornay’s vegetarian cousin

Serves 3 as a main, 6 as a side.

1 (large) bunch Swiss chard
1 bay leaf
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flour
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups milk
nutmeg
3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano/ cheddar (I did half and half)
1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1/2″ rounds and roasted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash the chard and separate the stalks from the leaves. Slice the stalks into 1/4″ by 3″ pieces. Parboil in salted water with a bay leaf for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

Slice the greens into thin ribbons. Wilt the greens in olive oil and garlic, working in batches if necessary. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Set aside.

In a saucepan, stir the flour into the melted butter and place over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in the milk, a few tablespoons at a time. When it has turned into a smooth paste, add the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Cook, whisking constantly, until it has the consistency of a thick milk shake.

Butter a baking dish and spread the greens over the bottom. Add the stalks (and squash if using), then the sauce. Add a bit more nutmeg, then the cheese. Add a few pats of butter on top of the cheese and bake for 25 minutes, until a nice golden crust has formed.

AEB suggests serving with a salad, I agree. I highly recommend a simple green salad with a dijonaise dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard), as it cuts the richness of the gratin quite nicely.

Now, a few side notes:

1. You could sub in just about any leafy green here, and next time I make it, I might try using a few different types. I’ll probably add *more* greens next time too, but that might just be my leafy-green addiction speaking.

2. This recipe makes a rather oozy (albiet delicious) gratin, not unlike seafood mornay. Again, one fix to this is more greens to soak up the sauce, or alternatively, one could add an egg, as is done in the Closet Cooking recipe, to make things stick together a bit better.

3. If you’re feeling especially ambitious, this would make a killer crepe filling. Or better yet, make a double batch and use the leftovers in crepes.