Brussels sprouts and cheddar gratin
- Side
- 6-8
- 40 minutes
Ben Tish makes his recommendation for your next Christmas dinner side; a sprout and sprout top gratin using Davidstow’s 24-month Crackler Cheddar, bacon and walnuts. Ben favours Davidstow cheeses for their reliability and layers of flavour that they add to sauces and gratins and their ability to balance strong flavours like sprouts.
Note: Sprout tops are the oft forgotten leafy tops of the sprout plant. They have a mild sprout flavour and, like all the brassicas, have a slight bitterness but a slight sweetness too. It is well worth getting your hands on them, but if you can’t, simply replace with a different brassica like hispi or Savoy cabbage and adjust the cooking time.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 150g of smoked bacon lardons
- 350ml of double cream
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 180g of Davidstow Crackler Cheddar, coarsely grated
- 450g of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 50g of Brussels sprout tops, (see note)
- 50g of walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C
In a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the lardons until the fat has rendered and the edges have started to crisp. Set aside
- 150g of smoked bacon lardons
Meanwhile, in a small pan, warm the cream with the garlic and mustard then stir through 120g of the cheddar until melted and slightly thickened. Set aside
- 350ml of double cream
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 120g of Davidstow Crackler Cheddar, coarsely grated
Blanch the Brussels sprouts in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, adding the sprout tops (if using) for the final 30 seconds. Drain well
- 450g of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 50g of Brussels sprout tops, (see note)
Arrange the sprouts and sprout tops in a single layer in a shallow gratin dish. Pour over the cream. Scatter over the remaining cheddar and chopped toasted walnuts and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling and golden
- 60g of Davidstow Crackler Cheddar, coarsely grated
- 50g of walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Ben Tish has a stellar track record for creating dishes that, quite simply, everyone wants to eat. After years of channelling his love of Mediterranean food he's now chef director across Cubitt House's various pubs and restaurants, proving just how versatile his talents are.
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