French Potato Gratin Uses No Cream But Still Offers Hearty Dining

French potato gratin, sliced potatoes baked slowly in vegetable broth and eggs with a double topping of cheeses, is a robust potato casserole in the French style.

With a tossed green salad, some whole-grain bread and a steamed vegetable, this gratin can be the centerpiece of a wholesome vegetarian meal. Or make it a lowerfat alternative to scalloped potatoes as a holiday side dish.

This dish earns the name “gratin” because as the cheese topping develops a savory, golden crust as it bakes. Most authentic au gratin dishes contain cream sauce or a buttered bread-crumb topping, but this recipe contains no cream and a minimum of fat and oil, keeping its fat content at a healthy 4.4 grams per serving.

French Potato Gratin

Nonstick cooking spray

2-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled

1 clove garlic, crushed through a press

1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

2 (14-1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth or 29 ounces homemade vegetable broth

1/2 cup shredded imported Gruyere or other good-quality Swiss cheese

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a 2- to 2-1/2-quart round baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Slice the potatoes into 1/4- to 1/8-inch slices; you should have about 6-1/2 cups. In the prepared baking dish, combine the sliced potatoes, garlic, sage, thyme and pepper. Stir to evenly distribute the herbs.

Using a wire whisk or electric mixer, beat together the flour, salt, egg whites and whole egg. When lumps of flour are no longer visible, gradually beat in the vegetable broth. Pour the broth mixture over the potatoes and top evenly with the Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses.

Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 1-1/2 hours. If cheeses become too brown, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking.

At the end of the baking time, remove dish from oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes to absorb cooking juices (don’t worry if not all the juices are absorbed). Slice into wedges and serve.

Yield: 8 (1-1/2-cup) servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 182 calories, 4.4 grams fat (22 percent fat calories), 9 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrate, 36 milligrams cholesterol, 626 milligrams sodium.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - On the Light Side