INGREDIENTS
- 1-2 long sweet potatoes (about 2 inches thick), peeled
- 4 large parsnips, ends trimmed and peeled
- 5 medium beets, peeled
- 2 ½ cups heavy cream, divided (whole milk is fine, but mixture won’t thicken as much or be as creamy)
- 4 ounces grated Parmesan, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme, divided plus more for garnish
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 ounces shredded gruyere
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice sweet potato, parsnips and beets into very thin rounds (using a mandoline is easiest) and transfer each vegetable to its own bowl.
- Pour ⅔ cup cream over each bowl of vegetables and top each with ½ ounce grated Parmesan and 1 teaspoon minced thyme. Season each bowl generously with salt and pepper and toss together until all vegetable slices are well coated.
- Pour remaining cream into the bottom of a 2 quart (oval) baking dish and sprinkle with ½ ounce of Parmesan and minced garlic.
- Grab a stack of sweet potatoes and line them standing up on a bias, at the top of the baking dish.
- Follow the sweet potato with a row of parsnips, followed by a row of beets.
- Repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes, parsnips and beets, creating 6 rows of root vegetables.
- Season top of gratin with salt, pepper and sprinkle of remaining ounce of Parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
- Remove from oven, uncover gratin and top with shredded gruyere.
- Set oven to broil and broil gratin for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned and bubbling on top.
- Finish with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. Serve.
