Freshen your seder menu with a delish potato dish

Posted

(The Nosher via JTA) – Passover brings lots of cleaning, matzah eating, and potato peeling. I know, I know – potatoes get a bad rap during Passover because they’re one of the seemingly few things we can eat, so they are eaten very frequently during these eight days. But I say don’t fight the potatoes: Embrace them! They’re cheap, they’re easy, everybody likes them and they really are delicious.

Besides being a total crowd-pleaser,  this dish also looks quite stunning, with layers of potatoes and carrots. If you make this Potato and Carrot Gratin, your family will definitely not be complaining about another potato dish. I promise.

And here’s a quick tip: Since you will be spending some time peeling and cutting the potatoes and carrots, I recommend you make this task more pleasant by chatting with a friend on the phone or catching up on your favorite TV show at the same time.

Passover Potato and Carrot Gratin 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons potato starch

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 3/4 cups water mixed with 2 tablespoons chicken soup mix

1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more)

5-6 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

Black pepper

Paprika

3/4 cup crushed potato chips

Fresh dill (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté until onions are soft and transparent, around 8-9 minutes. Clear a small hole in the center of the pan and add the minced garlic. Cook garlic in the center until fragrant, stirring constantly to avoid burning (about 30-60 seconds).

Add potato starch to onions and mix well. Add mayonnaise, water and soup powder mix, and salt, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from flame.

Pour a thin layer of sauce into an 8-by-8 baking dish, covering the bottom of the dish. Place a layer of overlapping potato slices in dish, then sprinkle with a layer of carrots. Top with a layer of sauce. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Repeat twice for a total of 3 layers of potatoes, carrots, sauce and spices.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove from oven, top with crushed potato chips, and bake for 30 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are fork tender. Garnish with fresh dill, if desired.

SAMANTHA MATTOX is the recipe developer behind Pass the Challah, a food blog full of Kosher recipes. The Nosher food blog (www.TheNosher.com) offers an array of Jewish recipes and food news from around the world.