Thanksgiving v 1.0

I managed to pull off my first Thanksgiving this year, with nary a disaster! The main course was a 20 lb. Pancetta Sage Turkey, Liz posted the recipe earlier. It was fantastic. The gravy it made, too, was unbelievable. I saved about 4 cups of the turkey drippings to make the gravy again. So good.

For potatoes, I did this gratin from Bon Appetit, of course, with some changes. I used a 9x11 pan, it was way too big. Use a smaller pan. I substituted baby portabellas for porcinis, as i was worried the porcinis would overpower the mascarpone, and i think it was a good call. Even Justin the mushroom hater ate it.

Potato gratin with porcini mushrooms and mascarpone cheese

Bon Appetit November 2007
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms*
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups mascarpone cheese**
1 cup whipping cream
3 garlic cloves, chopped
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 large), peeled, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Place porcini and 1 cup boiling water in medium bowl. Place small bowl atop mushrooms to keep submerged. Let soak 20 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop mushrooms.

Melt butter with oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Whisk 1/4 cup Parmesan and next 4 ingredients in small bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter wide shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange 1/4 of potato slices in bottom of dish. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Scatter 1/4 of mushrooms over. Repeat. Spread half of cheese mixture over, shaking dish to settle. Repeat with remaining potatoes and mushrooms in 2 layers each; spread remaining cheese mixture over. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over.

Place gratin dish on rimmed baking sheet. Bake gratin until top is brown and sauce is bubbling at edges, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Let gratin rest 15 minutes before serving.

Thanksgiving v 1.0