Food: Baked Fall Vegetables with Gruyere

I’m entering this recipe in a local contest that I heard about through work, though hopefully under a different name (if I can think of something better). At its core, this recipe comes from MoSB- her Parmesan Potatoes have been requested by my family since she started making them years ago. I added some local ingredients, as well as parsnips, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme. I also added the step of soaking the vegetables in the cider and water mixture, instead of just water. The water makes the vegetables more crisp, and the cider brings out their sweetness. The gruyere adds an earthy nuttiness, and the garlic and thyme make your kitchen smell fantastic, especially on a chilly, rainy day.  I tried to make an aioli to drizzle over this, but I killed my immersion blender in the process, so screw it. The dish is probably better without the aioli anyway, but I’ll need to get another iblender soon.

Baked Fall Vegetables with Thyme, Garlic, and Gruyere (working title)

3/4 cup flour
1 cup Blythedale Farm Vermont Gruyere (grated) – Local (VT)
1 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup (loosely packed) chopped parsley
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

4 baking potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and then cut into half moons – Seasonal
4 parsnips, peeled, cut to same size as potatoes – Seasonal

2 cups Carlson Orchard’s Cider – Local (MA)
4 cups water

1 stick Kate’s Butter – Local (VT)
3 cups (1 large package) white mushrooms
1 package thyme (fresh)
1 garlic bulb, sectioned into cloves

Preheat oven to 350.

Soak potatoes and parsnips in mixture of 2 cups cider, 4 cups water (both cold) for 20 minutes.

cider and water

Drain potatoes and parsnips and dry with a paper towel.

Mix parsley, cheeses, flour, paprika, salt, and pepper in a large bowl (or in a large plastic bag), then add dried potatoes and parsnips and coat well.

On a baking sheet with sides melt 1 stick of butter in preheated oven.

Once butter is melted add all contents of your bowl (or bag) to the pan. Add mushrooms, garlic (broken into cloves and scattered around pan) and several sprigs of thyme (scattered around pan).

ready to bake!

Bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on size of vegetables), turning once. Voila.

ready to eat!