Kohlrabi gratin with smoked bacon and garlic crumb recipe
We have a feeling that this garlicky kohlrabi gratin just might be your new go-to side dish for a family feast. Created by Fred Foster, author of new cookbook Turnips' Edible Almanac (and founder of legendary Borough Market fruit and vegetable wholesaler, Turnips), it's packed with fresh ingredients, is easy to prepare, and tastes absolutely delicious.
"I’m quite sure that all kids love pasta bake – maybe fewer like cauliflower cheese, but I doubt that many have tried kohlrabi gratin," says Fred. "This creamy gratin, with flavours of cabbage, smoked bacon and crunchy garlic crumble, will really shine at suppertime and is perfect for family dinners.
"I love adding potatoes to this gratin to give a little texture to the kohlrabi, which can be very soft if over-cooked. I like to use Alsace bacon – this bacon is one of the best I have ever tasted. It’s really smoky with a stunning flavour, but you can use any good-quality bacon; or use pancetta, if you prefer."
Ingredients
- 200 ml double (heavy) cream
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5 thyme sprigs
- 3 large Agria potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline
- 4 large kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline
- 150 g Alsace bacon, thinly sliced
- 100 g butter
- 1 pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp combined chopped flat-leaf parsley and chives, to serve
- 3 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 100 g panko breadcrumbs
- 75 g butter
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 0.5 tsp onion powder
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Gratin
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 60 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4. Line an ovenproof baking dish with baking paper.
- Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Add the garlic and thyme, place the pan over a medium heat and bring the cream to a boil. Reduce the heat to stop the cream scorching, but continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half (about 7-8 minutes). Remove the thyme sprigs.
- Layer the potatoes, kohlrabi, thinly sliced bacon and dots of the butter with the reduced cream and season with salt and pepper in between the layers. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender when tested with a wooden skewer or point of a knife.
- Meanwhile, make the garlic crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring continuously, until they start to turn golden. Add the butter and continue cooking until the crumbs are golden brown. Tip the crumbs onto a tray, stir through the garlic granules and onion powder, and season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, scatter the hot gratin with the garlicky crumbs, then the chopped herbs and grated Parmesan.
Recipe extracted from Turnips' Edible Almanac by Fred Foster (DK, £27). Photography by Matt Russell.
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