Sometime last week, while I was on the phone with my mom, she said, "Just a second, there's a recipe I want to read to you." Pulling out an ancient pumpkin cookbook, she proceeded to narrate a recipe that consisted of pumpkin, potato, cheese and egg, all mashed together and baked in a casserole dish. It sounded yummy, but a little plain, and so I tucked it into the back of my mind to let it hang out for a couple of days.
Then Friday rolled around and I needed a recipe that would be delicious, seasonal and just ever-so-slightly impressive because it would be my offering at the first-ever Philly food blogger potluck. I called my mom for the exact recipe to use as inspiration and then went my own way with the dish. The final product was amazingly good, full of acorn and butternut squashes, yukon gold potatoes, gruyere, parmesan, sage and nutmeg. It was something of a hit with the food bloggers and by the end of the night there was only a little bit left in the far corner of the pan. If you're looking for something new for your Thanksgiving table, this would be an excellent way to go. Potato and Pumpkin Bake
2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and quartered (I used Yukon Golds, but you can use any good masher)
2 pounds of squash (pumpkin, acorn, butternut or delicata would all work. I used a combo of roasted butternut squash and cubed acorn that I boiled with the potatoes)
1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs, beaten
3-4 minced sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (freshly grated is always better)
Salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the potatoes and squash until soft. While they are cooking, grate your cheese and toss together. Reserve 1/2 cup for sprinkling over the top. Drain, making sure to reserve one cup of the cooking water in case you need some extra liquid. Return potatoes and squash to pot and mash. Add butter and 1 1/2 cups cheese and mash some more. Add seasonings, stir and taste. Adjust seasoning if necessary. When you like how it tastes, stir in the beaten eggs (it's better to do your tasting before the raw eggs are added). Pour into a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until the top is browned and the casserole bubbles. Serve as soon as possible, because it is best warm.
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Sliced bread turns 80 today
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-04-2007 @ 11:05PM
evan said...
Do the eggs keep it kind of airy or do the cheeses firm things up?
Sounds great overall!
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11-04-2007 @ 11:08PM
Marisa McClellan said...
The eggs keep it really airy and the cheese sort of disappears so that it becomes light and tasty. The consistency is actually quite amazing.
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11-05-2007 @ 10:17AM
rainey Smith said...
Looks wonderful and I can't wait to try it.
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11-05-2007 @ 11:26AM
Barb said...
This sounds so homey and wonderful, full of autumn goodness.
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11-05-2007 @ 11:30AM
Judith Cameron said...
I've been making a sweet squash casserole for years in fact, it's almost a pudding and way too rich so I am ready for a change. I love how this sounds. About how many does this recipe serve? Thanks
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11-05-2007 @ 11:54AM
Marisa McClellan said...
Judith, the recipe makes a lot, and you can expand or contract it as you'd like. I used an oval casserole dish that I have, but the amount I made would fill a 9 x 13 baking dish nicely. I took it to a potluck where there were more than 20 people in attendance. Everyone took some and there was still a little bit left over.
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11-05-2007 @ 12:38PM
MJ said...
This is a great one, cant wait to try it. Thanks for a savory recipe!
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11-05-2007 @ 1:05PM
robl said...
This looks like a fantastic dish. I might substitute yams for the yukons (or half of them) and add some slivered ancho chile.
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11-05-2007 @ 1:54PM
Judith Cameron said...
Thanks for the numbers Marisa. Everyone's in for a change this year. I can't wait. BTW this is my first post and I LOVE your site, not to mention all the links. JC
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11-05-2007 @ 10:54PM
e said...
It certainly was a hit with the food bloggers. I had seconds of that dish.
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11-06-2007 @ 12:24AM
Lunar Dog said...
I am already commissioned to do side dishes for the thanksgiving dinner, and thanks for giving a new idea for this important dinner. I am sure it beats the classic standards that we eat every year.
thanks again Marissa
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11-08-2007 @ 2:47PM
rainey said...
I tried this and really liked it. Naturally, since I have problems with authority and especially the authority of recipes, I had to much around with it.
I roasted the veggies instead of boiling them. I added a large onion, roughly chopped and a peeled, cored, roughly chopped Granny Smith apple and tossed it all in seasoned olive oil before going into the oven to brown. When roasted, I put it all through a ricer to eliminate the squash peels. I retained as much of the roasty bits as I could and put in whatever chunks of the things other than squash that were still in the pan. I also just tossed it together with the egg to retain as many separate colors as possible.
The gruyére was a wonderful nutty choice with the veggies.
I can see this layered with smokey ham or pancetta as a main dish casserole.
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11-08-2007 @ 2:49PM
Marisa McClellan said...
I strongly believe in messing with recipes (as long as you don't blame the original cook if your deviations make it go awry) and so I say alter at will. Your changes sound absolutely delicious and have me now thinking about fried apples and onions topped with melted cheese, served on some crusty bread. Mmmm.
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11-10-2007 @ 2:31AM
Lara said...
I used Raclette cheese to top it, was great. Also, I added a sweet potato to butternut and potatoes, which made for a good addition.
Thanks for sharing!
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12-11-2007 @ 12:08AM
Keewi said...
I've had a butternut squash, sweet potatoes and yukon gold's sitting on my counter basically since this recipe was published, waiting for their chance to get mashed together for this. Well, tomorrow's the last of the potlucks before I leave town for the holidays, so it was now or never! Right now it's in the fridge, ready to be baked up tomorrow morning, and the blend of butternut, sweet potato and swiss (I cheated and subbed swiss with extra sage for the gruyere) is beautiful! Can't wait to try it once it's baked!
The only shortcoming is a good name for the dish! I'm mulling over combinations of "whipped", "autumn", and "gratin" to use for the inevitable question of "What is that?"
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