Zucchini Gratin

I decided to test out a new contender for one of our Christmas dinner side dishes.  Last night I made this Barefoot Contessa recipe and was pleasantly surprised… I made a few minor adjustments  and  I think we’ve got ourselves a new side dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tbsp butter
• 4 large zucchini (2 green, 2 yellow), sliced thinly
• 1 yellow onion, sliced thinly and then in halves
• 2-3 tbsp flour
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg (Don’t leave this out!  It won’t be overpowering, it will just make you wonder, “What is that?”)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup milk + 1/4 cup cream or half & half (I combined the two because I usually buy skim milk, but if you have whole milk on hand, just use that), hot
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs (here’s how you make them)
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 1 tbsp butter, diced into small cubes

HOW TO MAKE IT

• Melt the 6 tbsp butter in large saute pan and add in the sliced onions
• Saute the onions until they’re tender (5-10 minutes) and then add in the sliced zucchini
• Cover the saute pan and cook the zucchini for 10 minutes or until its tender
• Add in the nutmeg, salt and pepper and stir well and cook uncovered over low heat for about 5 minutes
• Sprinkle the flour over the zucchini mixture and mix well
• Pour in the hot milk and stir over low heat until the liquid begins to thicken a bit
• Pour the mixture into a 8″x10″ baking dish
• Combine the bread crumbs and grated cheese and sprinkle on top of the zucchini
• Place small cubes of the diced up tbsp butter on top of the breadcrumbs
• Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes
• Let the zucchini gratin rest for at least 10 minutes before serving