Savoy Cabbage and Bacon Gratin
Bringing together the classic combination of savoy cabbage and smoked bacon. This creamy gratin recipe is enhanced with wholegrain mustard and Parmesan cheese.
Introduction
This was one of my staples at university, sometimes with stock and Cheddar replacing the more luxurious ingredients, and it’s one of my favourite recipes in this entire book: so very much more than the bare, depressing idea of a cabbage bake suggests. If you make it for fewer people, please cover it before you sit down, or you will not be able to resist picking at it long after you’ve eaten more than is entirely healthy. It really is that good.
Ingredients
| Salt and pepper | |
| 1 | large savoy cabbage, shredded |
| A knob of | butter, plus a little extra to grease |
| 1 | onion, finely sliced |
| 6 | rashers of streaky smoked bacon, chopped |
| 300ml | double cream |
| 1 tbsp | wholegrain mustard |
| 50g | breadcrumbs |
| 15g | Parmesan, grated (optional) |
Method
Preheat the oven to l80°C/gas mark 4. Heat a large pan of salted water until boiling and add the cabbage. Blanch briefly, until just wilted, then drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook the onion until softened and golden. Add the bacon, and turn up the heat to crisp.
Turn down the heat again, then mix together the cream and mustard and add to the pan, followed by the cabbage. Season and toss everything together well.
Grease a large baking dish with a little butter; then tip in the cabbage mixture, cover with foil and bake for about half an hour.
Heat the grill. Mix together the breadcrumbs and cheese. Remove the foil, sprinkle the crumbs and cheese over the cabbage, and grill until golden.
