Gratin of Chard and New Potatoes

My lovely neighbour, who is a brilliant gardener, dropped in a big bag of chard yesterday.  I love chard but it's not widely available in my neck of the woods so this was a real treat. Young leaves can be eaten raw in salads but the bigger leaves are tough before they are cooked.

My brother had given me some new potatoes so I rustled up this tasty Sophie Grigson recipe.

Gratin of Chard and New Potatoes

Ingredients

5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing450g/1lb ruby or Swiss chard, stems and broad ribs cut into 1cm/½in pieces, leaves finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g/2oz black olives, stones removed2 canned anchovy fillets, chopped
2 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
½ tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
400g/14oz new potatoes, scrubbed, boiled until just tender, drained and sliced
60g/2oz gruyère cheese, grated
30g/1oz parmesan, freshly grated

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a wide, lidded pan and add the chopped chard ribs. Stir, then cover and cook over a low heat for four minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the leaves, stir, then cover again and cook for a further five minutes, or until just tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside.

Place the olives, anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, parsley and two tablespoons of olive oil into a food processor and blend to make a smooth paste.

Lightly oil a 30cm/12in ovenproof dish. Place a layer of the chard, along with any cooking juices, and a layer of the cooked potatoes into the dish. Spread a little of the olive paste over the chard and potatoes and season with freshly ground black pepper. Continue to layer up the chard and potato, spreading more of the olive paste between each layer and finishing with a layer of chard.

Mix the gruyère and parmesan in a bowl and sprinkle over the top of the gratin. Drizzle over the remaining tablespoon of olive oil.

Transfer to the oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is browned and bubbling. Serve hot or warm.

There are lots more delicious Sophie Grigson recipes here.


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