A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to build a dinner for my wife’s grandpa, and we got to work thinking about the ingredients he loves but doesn’t normally eat…and the first thing that came to mind was mushrooms. From there, we decided to add in some Gruyere (somewhat inspired by our Swiss Mushroom and Cauliflower Pie flavour combination), and we opted to round out our ingredients with some bacon and a veggie medley.
The flavours we developed worked really well together in the end, but we did have a few learnings from a texture standpoint, as it was a little soupier than we intended…so we’ve incorporated those learnings into our method section below. Our first change involves adding a bit more flour to the ingredient mixture to aid in thickening of the sauce. The second relies on the incorporation of the cheese into the dish…rather than melting the cheese in to the mixture before baking (which released some excess liquid), we are suggesting melting the cheese atop the casserole. Again though, even if your casserole turns out a bit soupy, the flavours will delight!
Time: 45 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Onion
- Bacon
- Eggplant
- Russett Potato (or frozen shredded potatoes)
- Mushrooms
- Spinach
- Mushroom or Vegetable Stock
- Gruyere Cheese
- Black Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons of Butter
- 2-3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
Method:
- Slice your mushrooms, dice your onion, and slice your bacon into ribbons. Set your mushrooms aside.
- Melt some butter in a large pan, and add your bacon and onion. Sautee for a little while until your onions turn opaque, and your bacon starts to brown.
- As your bacon and onions cook, use a grater or the shredding plate of your food processor to grate your eggplant and potato. Then, add these to your pan, and stir to combine.
- Add your mushrooms to your pan, and stir them in as well. Cook until your mushrooms soften, and your potatoes/eggplant sort of merge together.
- After a little while, add your spinach, and stir it in to wilt.
- Add and stir in your all purpose flour to fully incorporate, and then pour in your veggie or mushroom stock. Allow to thicken. Sprinkle in some black pepper as it all cooks together.
- Shred/grate your cheese.
- When your casserole ingredients have thickened, pour them into a baking dish, and top with your cheese.
- Heat in the oven to melt your cheese over everything.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
