Gratin Dauphinois, Kale and Farro

It is a French classic with an Italian flare. I was inspired to prepare this gratin style dish when Nate, another worker from Riverbend, cooked a wild rice, sausage gratin. It was absolutely brilliant. The problem I find with traditional Gratin Dauphinois is the richness. My version has broth instead of cream with added veggies and grain. Traditionally, the dish is made with potatoes, onions, cream and butter. Being I like to mix things up and put a spin on things, I decided to add an Italian grain called farro. Farro is a pure form of wheat with the husk still intact and displays a firm, chewy texture giving versatility in cooking. In the end, the final product came out elegant with a beautifully browned topping. Serve it with a salad to bring freshness to your palate.

1 pound potatoes, Cranberry Red preferred
1 cup farro, or whole grain like brown basmati or wild rice
1 bunch kale, lacinato preferred
1 tbsp. garlic
¼ pound fontina Val D’Aosta cheese (can be purchased at Surdyk’s, or simply choose another variety of fontina), cut into several small, thin squares
1 small onion, diced
1 ½ cup milk
1 ½ cup broth
1 tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese to garnish

Preheat the oven to 375 ° F

In a sauce pan, add about 2 ½ cups salted water and one cup farro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer the grain with the closed lid for 15-30 minutes until tender. Drain off water if any remains and set aside.

Prepare the veggies as such: wash and thinly slice the potatoes with the skins on to 1/8 inch rounds (may use a mandolin if one is available). Cut out the rib of the kale and dice; the remaining leafy bits should be shredded as well, but kept separate. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a cast iron 12-14 inch pan, heat butter and sauté onions, garlic, and kale ribs. Once the kale ribs are tender, add the kale leaves. Then, layer the cooked farro on top the kale/onion mixture. Fan out the potatoes on top in a layered fashion and proceed to add the cheese, laid out randomly. Sprinkle salt and pepper once more. Once everything is assembled, add the milk and broth to the pan, bring to boil and put in oven for 25-30 minutes.