One of our favorite dishes around the holiday season is Chard Au Gratin, fresh from the garden. Chard has silky smooth leaves bursting in an array of colors including yellow, orange, red and green. With the ability to survive some cold overnight temperatures, we’ve had the luxury of having Chard Au Gratin at both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners over the last few years. A few sub-freezing evenings are no match for the robust leafy green and it’s super food aesthetics.
Pairing anything with Heavy Whipping Cream and Paremsan is sure to overcome the most ardent anti-veggie zealot. The bubbling of creamy goodness, garlic salt and parmesan are equally matched by the crisp edges of the succulent greens, only the right amount of stirring and neglect can produce such an outcome.
We typically start by harvesting 6-8 full grown (18 in) leaves or the equivalent of about 6 cups chopped Chard. Whether it looks like enough, or that it may be too much, it’s not.
Leafy greens are notorious shrinkers when it comes to cooking them, Chard is no different. We like to layer greens, parmesan, heavy whipping cream and garlic salt/pepper in two to three layers. Even if it looks like it will tower out of the 9”x13” pan, fear not!
A simple concoction with limited prep, including cut, layer, bake, shouldn’t produce such an amazing array of flavors. But it does, here’s your ingredient list:
9”x13” Glass Pan
6-8 Full Grown Chard Leaves
1 quart of Heavy Whipping Cream
1 6 oz. bag Parmesan Cheese
Garlic Salt
Pepper
After chopping the Chard (to your preferred bite size), lay out a base of greens, slowly drizzle some heavy whipping cream over the leaves, then sprinkle parmesan, garlic salt and pepper, repeat this 2-3 times or until you run out of greens, this is not a task for the conservative. Either layer yourself, or choose from the most gluttonous helpers, there is no such thing as too much of this goodness. Next, you’ll cook the layered pan at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. If you stir, the blend of flavors will take over and the leaves will not get crispy, if you leave it alone, the leaves will crisp up, necessitating a stir before serving, it is your choice.
Enjoy this holiday favorite any time you have greens to harvest, we’ve also used Kale later into the season as it’s hardiness will outperform that of the Chard. Once you’ve made and enjoyed the dish, we would appreciate hearing about it via social media @beatsbedsbrowns.
Thanks!