Swiss Chard Gratin

Thyme and Reason has inspired me once again!

One of her more recent recipes, Swiss Chard Gratin, caught my eye. It looked delicious yet challenging, but I was wanting to take on a cooking challenge. This week I've been housesitting for my parents and they recently remodeled their kitchen, not to mention that their cooking utensils/appliances are superior to mine, so I decided to try this recipe while I have access to it.

Here are the ingredients to serve 4 as a main dish or 6 as a side:
2 lbs. chard, including half of the stems
4 T. unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 c. fresh bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
3 T. chopped parsley
1 T. flour
1 c. milk or cream (I used 1% milk)
1 c. goat cheese, crumbled

Not many ingredients there, but most of them took work! I had to separate the chard stems from leaves, and wash + chop both. I had to chop the onion, mince the garlic, crumble the goat cheese, measure the other ingredients, etc.

What is swiss chard, you say?

It's a vegetable in the beet family! According to Wikipedia, "Swiss chard is high in vitamins A, K and C, with a 175g serving containing 214%, 716%, and 53%, respectively, of the recommended daily value. It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein." Nice. I will add that it has pretty stems.

Refer to Thyme and Reason for the recipe instructions. You can find them here.

Here's an action shot, of the onion, chopped stems, and chopped leaves in a large skillet:

Forty five minutes (and a messy kitchen) later:

Now, I have no idea what it tastes like. I finished the dish at 9 pm and I had already eaten dinner. I can attest that it smells AMAZING and I can't wait to eat it tonight. You'll notice that my dish looks small, and that's because it is. I only used two bunches of swiss chard and not the two pounds that the recipe calls for. I think my finished product would serve two as a hearty side dish. The swiss chard REALLY wilts down so you probably need more than you think.

This dish is vegetarian, but it's definitely not vegan. Milk, butter, and cheese are three essential ingredients in the recipe, but could easily be substituted by vegan imitations.

I wish I had been able to eat the dish while it was warm from the oven, but c'est la vie! I will enjoy it tonight!