Celeriac and Fennel Gratin

In our experience, celeriac and fennel are two of the most crowd dividing vegetables. You either love them or hate them. Nic and I love both of these vegetables. Once the celeriac and fennel are cooked, the intensity of the flavours lessen.

We'd recently been to dinner with friends, Jim and Kathryn, who also own a Big Green Egg. Kathryn doesn't eat potatoes because she doesn't like them. She made this dish as an alternative to a potato based dish. It was delicious so we thought we'd try it recreate it.

Method

1. Set up your Egg for an indirect cook (plate setter feet up with the stainless steel grid on top) at 160°C.
2. Cut the celeriac in half and peel.  Slice your celeriac to about 3mm thick pieces. If you don't plan to use immediately, place in some cold water to stop it turning brown.
3. Cut the fennel bulb in half lengthways. Lay the fennel flat side down and then slice lengthways.
4. Add 20g butter to a skillet and melt the butter.
5. Add the onion and garlic. Cook until they've softened. Add the cumin seeds for a few minutes to toast. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
6. In a large bowl, add the chopped fennel and celeriac.
7. Add 3/4 of the grated parmesan and gruyere cheese and cream to the bowl. You'll use the remaining cheese later when you're ready to cook the gratin Season with salt and pepper.
8. Add the softened onions to the bowl.
9. Stir to coat the vegetable pieces with the cream mixture.
10. Pour into an ovenproof dish.
11. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan and gruyere cheese over the top of the gratin.
12. Cook your gratin for about 1 to 1.5 hours until the vegetables are tender and the top golden brown.
13. We served the gratin with Pan Fried Duck Breast and Balsamic and Honey Griddled Cabbage.