Winter Root Veggie Gratin a la VitaClay

I love root vegetables. In the winter and fall the farmers markets and grocery stores are replete with squashes, winter melons and pumpkins, not to mention potatoes, yams and other goodies. This time of year, when the root vegetables are abundant, is our time to re-connect with the earth in a more intimate way than we have for the rest of the year.

We are eating foods that grow inside of the earth, not outside or above it. It is important to get root vegetables that are organic if at all possible: root vegetables soak up toxins in the soil like a sponge. I read once that after land has been used as an airfield and it needs to be re-purposed, especially for crops, root vegetables like potatoes and carrots are planted in the field to “clean up” all of the jet fuel residue in the soil.

Fortunately in less industrial situations, they also soak up valuable nutrients from the soil that we can benefit from. So make sure you get your root vegetables from a clean source, and enjoy them while they last!

 Ingredients:

•  1.5-2 cups broth
• 3 T butter
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 lb red potatoes, peeled and sliced (~3cups)
• 1 celery root bulb (~1 lb), cut and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch leeks, white only, washed and thinly sliced (~1 cup)
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 t minced fresh thyme leaves
• ½ t ground nutmeg
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Layer (in order): broth, butter, all veggies (potatoes on top), cream and spices in VitaClay pot.
2. Cover, close and set on “Stew” setting for 30-45 minutes.
3.  If you’d like a crust on top, you can put the clay pot in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes afterwards, then sprinkle cheese over the top, cover, and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes.