Greek Scalloped Potatoes Gratin

Wind. No Snow. Freezing temperatures. More wind. Unending darkness. 

It's time for some serious comfort food in Alaska, my friends. This house-arresting weather demands it. If I can't ski, I will make comfort food!

Growing up, my dad used to make ham and scalloped potatoes. I hadn't had them in so long and for some reason a peculiar craving for the creamy spuds overcame me. So, I made my own version! Sans our animal friend, the pig, of course and better than ever! Todd and his strange and somewhat spontaneous love of Kalamata olives inspired me to develop a greek gratin with him in mind.

“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

— Epicurus

Canned coconut milk replaces heavy cream in my verison. Creamy and slightly sweet, this comforting herbed Greek Scalloped Potato Gratin is accompanied by green kale, salty Kalamata olives, and juicy yellow onion.  

Greek Scalloped Potato Gratin

Creamy and slightly sweet, this comforting herbed Greek Scalloped Potato Gratin is accompanied by green kale, salty Kalamata olives, and juicy yellow onion.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz. can full-fat coconut milk
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp. dried thyme
• ½ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• dash of ground black pepper
• dash of kosher salt
• 1 ½-2 lbs. russet potatoes (about 3 medium), washed and thinly sliced
• ½ medium yellow onion, sliced
• 3 large kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped
• 12 pitted Kalamata olives, minced
• sprinkling of nutritional yeast

Cooking Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk through and including the salt over medium-low. Whisk to combine. Do not allow to boil.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and coat a large 9x13 inch baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400 F.
3. Ladle some of the sauce into the prepared dish, so it covers the bottom. Place one sliced potato in the dish, arranging the slices evenly among the bottom. Add half of the sliced onion, one of the chopped kale leaves, and four minced olives evenly over the first layer of potato.
4. Repeat with second layer, excluding the sauce. Repeat with third layer (there will be no onion in this top layer).
5. Remove the sauce from heat and take out the bay leaves. Pour the remaining sauce over the layers. Sprinkle the top evenly with nutritional yeast
6. Cover with aluminum foil, leaving one corner open for steam to escape. Bake at 400 F for 40 minutes.
7. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Dutch Word of The Day

Potato --> aardappel (ard-apple)

Good Deed of The Day

Are you surprised that a plant-based, minimal animal products way of eating was ranked as the healthiest diet again this year? Not me! Time to ditch the meat.