Dinner in Red

I love a theme dinner.

I haven't done one in a while.  Is it possible that I haven't really done one here at "Player"?  I think it might be.   I'm not speaking of the general "Mexican" theme, or even "Local".  I'm talking specific.

In this case the occasion was this:



The theme: Blood.

I know, it's creepy, but that's just the way it is.  Vampires love blood.  It has it's place in cuisine for sure, but not on a Thursday night after a long day.  Luckily blood is red.  Red I can deal with.

I walked around the Whole Foods for inspiration.  These babies caught my eye for obvious reasons:

A beet gratin,  decided.  Thinly slice six beets.

Then I saw these babies: blue potatoes.  Those would be a perfect addition to my gratin, and they'd soak up that beet red color and keep things nice and dark.

Slice up about an equal amount of potatoes:

Now start your layers in a buttered oven-proof dish.
Note: Make sure your pan fits in the oven.  Mine didn't, but I didn't realize that till the dish was assembled, and I had to cook the thing on the stovetop, browning it in the oven with the door slightly ajar.  Don't make that mistake.  Let's go ahead and pretend I didn't either. 

Layer your crazy blue potatoes.  Then add some of the beets.

Grated gruyere and emmentaler.  They're Swiss.

Give that mixture a sprinkle.

And more beets and potatoes:

And more cheese:

And more beets and potatoes:

 

Now you'll want to add your moisture.  I added a cup and a half of chicken stock:

 

And about 1/2 cup of half and half.  Feel free to experiment- all milk, all stock, cream and stock- any combo would work.

Top everything with cheese, and dot some butter on top.  This dish is sinful.  Just like vampires.

I served my gratin with paprika marinated boneless skinless chicken thighs.  (The marinade is one sliced red onion, a tablespoon paprika, the juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup red wine, or in my case, Marsala) Let that marinate for 20 minutes in the fridge, then bake at 400˚ until the internal temp is 160˚ish.  Chicken thighs are higher in fat and therefore more forgiving than breasts.

Bake your gratin at 400˚ for 45 minutes covered, then remove the lid/foil and let the top brown for about 15 minutes.

We served our chicken and gratin with a simple radicchio salad, which fit the palate, but was a bit bitter despite my honey mustard vinaigrette.

It was a delicious meal.  The gratin would have been perfect had it not been cooked on the stovetop.  The combination of flavors and textures was great. 

The midnight showing of Twilight was intense.  I think I was the oldest person there who wasn't a chaperone.  It was a great experience, though.  Sometimes it's fun to be silly.

Playing,
Meredith