Chard & New Potato Gratin with Herbs de Provence

I was able to utilize my husband's skills with a mandoline (a tool for preparing very thinly sliced vegetables) in the "Chard & New Potato Gratin with Herbes de Provence" (page 322), as I am scared to death of slicing off my fingers with this gadget, even with the guard in place. So, whenever a recipe calls for using a mandoline, I ask my husband to do the honors. If you don't have a mandoline (or anyone in your house willing to use one!), you can still make this dish, just slice the potatoes as thinly as possible with a sharp knife. Pre-cooked onion and Swiss chard is layered with the sliced potatoes and herbes de Provence, drizzles of vegetable broth (the recipe calls for drizzling with oil, but I used broth), topped off with vegan Parmesan or Parmasio, and baked in a hot oven for about an hour. Traditionally, gratins are served directly from the baking dish, but I spooned a portion out on a plate for this picture. I love just about anything made with potatoes, and this was no exception. This was actually the first time I used herbes de Provence, an aromatic and delightful blend of rosemary, cracked fennel, thyme, savory, basil, French tarragon, dill weed, Turkish oregano, lavender, chervil and marjoram. I enjoyed this dish for dinner the first day, and diced up and browned in a skillet for breakfast the next morning.  

Keeping it "McDougall Friendly" checklist:

                                                                                                                            

• Omit the oil when sautéing the veggies; instead use a nonstick skillet and/or a little water, broth, or sherry as the sauté liquid.
• Use vegetable broth instead of oil to drizzle over the potatoes as you are layering them in the gratin dish.