Happy Wednesday everyone! Outside is truly miserable right now (yup, you guessed it – British speciality = rain) and as I know that some of you are probably in Thankgiving preparation mode, I decided that this calls for a super simple yet deliciously comforting dish. And if there is one food that signifies comfort almost across borders, it’s potatoes!
This dish is super easy to make and makes for a fantastic festive meal side or you could be like me and just attack it with a spoon as soon as it cools off enough not to burn your mouth.
I wanted it to be easy to make and suitable for people with nut allergies so while I already have a delicious vegan potato gratin recipe on my website, this one does not use any cashews and is made in a single skillet from the beginning to the end.
If you don’t own an oven safe skillet, don’t panic, you can use a pan for most of the steps and them simply transfer everything to an overn proof dish before baking. Just make sure you go for a dish that guarantees a similarily snug fit. For my bake I used a 26 cm or 10 inch cast iron pan.
Anyway, enough talking, let’s have a look at all the ingredients you need and a few simple steps that will get this dish on the table in front of you. Enjoy!
Start off by sauteeing shallots and garlic (and herbs) in some olive oil and vegan butter until soft and fragrant. Once done, remove them from the skillet – no need to wash it – and set aside.
Heat up a little more olive oil and vegan butter and once the latter has melted, add some potato starch. Whisk all of the three ingredients together and allow the starch to bubble gently for 60 seconds or so.
Next whisk in plant milk slowly and allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer so that it thickens. Season with miso diluted in a bit of plant milk, nutritional yeast, nutmeg, black pepper and salt.
Return fried shallot and garlic mixture to the skillet, stir everything well and adjust the seasoning to your taste remembering that potatoe slices are unseasoned so be bold!
Finally arrange slighly overlapping potato slices on top of the sauce, leaving approximately a third of the slices visible above the liquid. Brush the exposed potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle the top with black pepper and a few more thyme leaves.
Bake in a hot oven until potatoes are fully cooked, all the excess liquid has evaporated and the top is golden brown.
*POTATO STARCH: if you don’t care about keeping this dish gluten-free, you can use plain flour instead.
*MISO PASTE: If gluten-free, seek out gluten-free miso paste. It is often based on chickpeas, rice or millet.
PAN SIZE: I used a 26 cm / 10 inch cast iron pan.