Potato, Leek, Gruyère and Oyster Mushroom Gratin
(serves 4 as a side dish)
Step 1: Grow your mushrooms! I bought a mushroom starter kit at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair. Within two weeks, little mushrooms began to grow. Once they sprouted, the mushrooms began doubling in size each day. One week later, I had a handful of beautiful oyster mushrooms, ready to be consumed.
3 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin
1 cup oyster mushrooms, broken into bite-sized pieces
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1 tbs chopped garlic
¼ cup white wine
1 cup shredded Gruyere
1.5 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup low sodium veggie broth
2 tablespoons butter or butter alternative (I used Smart Balance)
Salt and pepper to taste
Step 3: Cook the Veggies and Prepare your Filling
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a skillet, sauté leeks in butter on medium heat for approximately 6 minutes, or until nearly done. Add in oyster mushrooms and sautee for about 2 more minutes. Add in garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in white wine and let reduce (about 1 minute) Remove from heat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
In a small bowl, mix together cream and broth. Sprinkle in freshly ground pepper.
Step 4: Prepare Your Dish for Baking
Coat an 8×8 inch baking pan with butter. Place a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the pan.
Then, spread half of the leek and mushroom dish on top of the potatoes. Pour half of the cream mixture on top of the dish. Sprinkle half of the cheese on top of then. Repeat the layers until all of the ingredients are used up. Top with some dried basil.
Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until top is browned and bubbling. It may look liquid-y at first by it will solidfy a bit if you let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with a salad! Enjoy!