I have really been trying to be a trouper about the kitchen. I've lived without a dishwasher before; I've lived without a disposal before; and I can work with limited prep space. But now, after two-ish months in the house, the thing that's really bringing me down is the broken oven. What I wouldn't give if I could roast some stuff right now. (Well, I know what I'd give. In fact, we signed with our contractor today and finally have a pretty concrete estimate of exactly what we'll give. Excuse me, I'm just going to take a chug off the nearest Maalox bottle.)
Yesterday I was browsing on my Pinterest food board trying to make a grocery list, and literally everything that looked good to me required an oven. It's fall. It is roasting time. It is just the WAY OF THINGS. UNNNGGHHH WANT OVEN. The fact that our new oven is actually sitting in our dining room for me to see every day, taunting me, probably isn't helping matters.
Okay then. Since I can't use my oven, I'm going to make a suggestion for what you should do with yours: gratin. Specifically, this gratin. I found this recipe a couple years ago after two things happened: 1) I went apple picking and therefore had a ton of apples, and 2) Eric's mom went south for the winter and gave us what was left in her pantry, which included a ton of potatoes and onions. So I went a'Googling for a recipe that would use things up, and this came up big.
Notes:
- Do not be tempted to use dried thyme. I know, prepping fresh thyme is the worst, but it pays off here.
- If you have a mandoline, break it out and you'll have the 6 1/2 pounds of produce uniformly sliced in no time. BUT. Use the safety grip, obviously. I say this to you as a person who has learned this lesson the extremely painful, fingerprint-shaving way. (Who's hungry now?!)
- You might feel lazy and not want to peel the potatoes and/or apples. I know because I have been that lazy person. You really should peel them; it's not the same otherwise.
So here we go. Make this gratin, and give your oven a little appreciative pat for me. If anyone needs me, I'll be blowing up a potato in my microwave.
Apple, Potato and Onion Gratin
Adapted from Bon Appétit
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided
2 pounds onions, sliced
2 tablespoons (packed) chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons salt, divided
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold, yellow Finn, or German Butterball potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 pounds tart apples (such as Granny Smith, Pippin, or Pink Lady), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
Yesterday I was browsing on my Pinterest food board trying to make a grocery list, and literally everything that looked good to me required an oven. It's fall. It is roasting time. It is just the WAY OF THINGS. UNNNGGHHH WANT OVEN. The fact that our new oven is actually sitting in our dining room for me to see every day, taunting me, probably isn't helping matters.
Okay then. Since I can't use my oven, I'm going to make a suggestion for what you should do with yours: gratin. Specifically, this gratin. I found this recipe a couple years ago after two things happened: 1) I went apple picking and therefore had a ton of apples, and 2) Eric's mom went south for the winter and gave us what was left in her pantry, which included a ton of potatoes and onions. So I went a'Googling for a recipe that would use things up, and this came up big.
Notes:
- Do not be tempted to use dried thyme. I know, prepping fresh thyme is the worst, but it pays off here.
- If you have a mandoline, break it out and you'll have the 6 1/2 pounds of produce uniformly sliced in no time. BUT. Use the safety grip, obviously. I say this to you as a person who has learned this lesson the extremely painful, fingerprint-shaving way. (Who's hungry now?!)
- You might feel lazy and not want to peel the potatoes and/or apples. I know because I have been that lazy person. You really should peel them; it's not the same otherwise.
So here we go. Make this gratin, and give your oven a little appreciative pat for me. If anyone needs me, I'll be blowing up a potato in my microwave.
Apple, Potato and Onion Gratin
Adapted from Bon Appétit
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, divided
2 pounds onions, sliced
2 tablespoons (packed) chopped fresh thyme
4 teaspoons salt, divided
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold, yellow Finn, or German Butterball potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2 pounds tart apples (such as Granny Smith, Pippin, or Pink Lady), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds