on Dec 26, 2020 Guys. Just take a look at the first 10 seconds of the video below and come back up here. Can you resist a serving of that creamy au gratin? Think you can stop at just one serving? I’m thinking NO! At the cost of sounding cheesy, I’ll admit we love all things creamy and dreamy. Have you checked out our Creamy Chicken Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce OR our recent addition to the blog – Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes? This veggie loaded au gratin is buttery and rich from the Bechamel sauce – A classic French dish! And the dish is so creamy without actually needing a lot of cheese! A common misconception is that au gratin means ‘grated cheese’. Nope! It actually refers to the breadcrumbs which give the dish it’s signature golden brown roast on top! The prep for this dish is really simple so let’s dive straight into it!
How To Prep Veggies For au Gratin
We’ve used fresh beans, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, and peas. The veggies should all be chopped into approximately the same size so that they cook evenly. You can chop the veggies by hand or use a veggie cutter. The cooking time for each veggie is different and is detailed in the recipe card below. In one big pot of boiling water, we cooked the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower florets, beans, and peas, in that order. They cook evenly and are just right.
Bechamel Sauce – Buttery and Rich
To get the bechamel sauce right, you need to get the mixture of flour, butter and milk exactly right. So make sure you refer to the recipe card and measure these ingredients out. It’s important to cook the flour for a minute or two in butter so that the flour is not raw anymore. Do a sniff test of the roux (flour and butter) – the flour should smell slightly nutty as it cooks. The only pressure point with a bechamel sauce is to keep it lump-free which can sometimes be difficult to achieve. The idea is to incorporate milk in a steady stream as you whisk it with the flour. Do this in batches so that milk gets fully incorporated before you add the next batch. This will ensure you have a lump-free, smooth sauce. We love classic French flavours so some garlic, minced onions, rosemary and nutmeg also go in the sauce.
How to Get That Golden Brown Top
The au gratin is a play of textures – the veggies and bechamel sauce are creamy and smooth while the top layer is cheesy and crunchy. To get that golden brown top, there are two steps:
The cheese layer: Like I said before, this is a complete indulgence of a dish. And that’s why there’s a layer of cheese that goes on top of veggies in bechamel sauce. We’ve made this layer with grated processed cheese and parmesan shavings. Parmesan adds umami to the dish. And processed cheese – well that’s just how we grew up eating au gratin, so we had to add some!The layer of bread crumbs: We’ve used panko bread crumbs which are usually meant for deep-fries. But they get super crisp and take on a beautiful colour when baked. If you don’t have panko bread crumbs, you can use toasted fine breadcrumbs as well. Generously sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the cheese to get that golden baked layer on top of the au gratin!
Top Tips to Make The Best Vegetable Au Gratin
The Veggies: Since each veggie has different cooking times, the idea is to add the ones that take longest to cook first, and subsequently the rest. Potatoes take the longest to cook, so they go in first. And peas don’t need much time, so they go in last.Roux For Bechamel Sauce: The flour, butter and milk have to be added in the precise proportions given. If there’s too much flour, the roux will become extremely too thick and lumpy. If there’s too much milk, it’ll be too runny.The Bechamel Sauce Ratio: The basic ratio of flour to butter to milk for the classic bechamel sauce is 1:1:10, depending on the quantity you are making. We’ve used one-third cup:one-third cup: 3 cup ratio. The milk should be added in a steady stream to the flour and butter roux so that it doesn’t get lumpy. Use a whisk for this!Baking Au Gratin: Make sure to preheat your oven before putting the au gratin in. 20 minutes in the oven will do, so the sauce thickens slightly and the cheese gets nice and bubbly.
We stuffed our faces with this cheesy baked vegetables dish during our trials. And at the end of the day, we put it back in the oven for dinner. And that’s when we realised this dish makes for such great leftovers! Serve Vegetable Au Gratin as a side dish on your table along with meats and roasts, or as a main course in itself! Here are some of my favourite pairings:
Garlic BreadBeef BourguignonHerb Garlic Roast ChickenRoasted Spatchcock Chicken
More Creamy Dishes You Must Try:
Jalapeno Mac and CheesePasta In Bechamel SauceChicken Florentine PastaCauliflower Rice Broccoli Casserole
Watch How to make Vegetable Au Gratin Recipe Video
