Best 3 Creamy Lambs Quarters Gratin Recipes

CREAMY LAMB'S-QUARTERS GRATIN

Steps:

• Make Filling:
• Preheat the oven to 350° F with the rack in the middle. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
• Bring 1-inch salted water to a boil in a large saucepan. Meanwhile, wash lamb's-quarters in a large bowl of cold water and drain well. Trim any coarse, woody stems at bottom (don't go crazy with trimming; young lamb's-quarter stems cook up tender and delicious).
• Add lamb's-quarters to pot and cook over medium heat, covered, until leaves are wilted and stems are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the greens in a large sieve or colander and rinse well under cold running water. Drain again, pressing out excess liquid with the back of a large spoon. Coarsely chop greens and transfer to a bowl. Dry saucepan and reserve.
• Cook scallions in olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in reserved saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Combine scallion mixture with greens in bowl. Reserve saucepan again.
• Melt butter in reserved saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes, then whisk in milk and bring to a boil, whisking. Reduce heat and simmer sauce, whisking, 2 minutes (it will be thick). Remove from heat and whisk in nutmeg, zest, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix sauce into greens mixture. If the mixture is too thick, thin with a little additional milk; season with salt and pepper. Spread out mixture in baking dish.
• Make Topping:
• Toss together crumbs, cheeses, and oil until combined well. Sprinkle topping evenly over greens mixture and bake in oven until crumbs are golden and mixture is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
• Cooks' Notes:
• The best way to make coarse fresh breadcrumbs is to cube fresh bread, then grind it in small batches in a blender (a food processor is not as good at grinding crusty bread into breadcrumbs because the crusts get stuck in the blade).
• Creamy lamb's-quarters mixture and crumb mixture can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately in airtight containers, chilled.

SPRING GREENS AND LEEK GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in an ovenproof 10" skillet (such as cast iron) over medium-low heat. Add leeks and ramp bulbs and cook, stirring often, until leeks are softened, about 10 minutes. (Try to keep the leeks from browning.)
• Add ramp greens, arugula, and spinach in big handfuls, cooking and wilting one batch before adding the next. (At first it will look like all those greens will never fit in the skillet, but keep at it-you'll see!) When all greens are wilted (this may take 15-20 minutes), add coriander, salt, and cayenne. Cook, stirring, until spices are incorporated, about 1 minute. Add lemon zest, cream, and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Continue to cook, stirring, until cream has slightly reduced, about 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.
• Toss bread with oil in a large bowl to coat. Arrange bread on top of vegetables, taking care not to cover the greens completely (you want them to peek through here and there). Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp. Parmesan over.
• Transfer to oven and bake gratin until bread is golden brown and crisp, cheese is melted, and cream is bubbling, 35-45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

PROVENçAL LEG OF LAMB WITH POTATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large saucepan, bring the potatoes, salt and milk to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally so the potatoes do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring from time to time, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Combine the parsley and garlic and sprinkle half into a large oval gratin dish, measuring about 16 by 10 by 2 inches. Spoon the potato-and-milk mixture into the pan and sprinkle with the remaining parsley and garlic mixture.
• Carefully trim the fat from the lamb. Season with salt and pepper and place the lamb on top of the potatoes. Roast, uncovered, about one hour, or from eight to 10 minutes per pound. Do not turn the lamb.
• Combine the ingredients for the herb crust. After the lamb has been roasting for about 45 minutes, sprinkle the meat with the herb, garlic and bread-crumb mixture. Remove from the oven and let sit 20 minutes before serving.
• To serve, carve the lamb into thin slices and arrange on warmed dinner plates or on a serving platter, with the potatoes alongside.