Recipe of the week: kohlrabi gratin with smoked bacon and garlic crumb

This creamy gratin with flavours of cabbage, smoked bacon and crunchy garlic crumble will really shine at suppertime and is perfect for family dinners, as children tend to love it, says Fred Foster.

I add potatoes to give a little texture to the kohlrabi. I love Alsace bacon: it’s smoky with a stunning flavour. But if you can’t find it, you can use any good-quality bacon; or pancetta, if you prefer.

Serves four people

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Ingredients

For the gratin:

• 200ml double cream
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 thyme sprigs
• 3 large Agria potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline
• 4 large kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced with a mandoline
• 150g Alsace bacon, thinly sliced
• 100g butter
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp combined chopped flat-leaf parsley and chives, to serve
• 2-3 tbsp freshly grated parmesan, to serve

For the garlic crumbs:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 100g panko breadcrumbs
• 75g butter
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• ½ tsp onion powder

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas 4. Line an ovenproof baking dish with baking paper.
• Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Add the garlic and thyme, place the pan over a medium heat and bring the cream to a boil. Reduce the heat to stop the cream scorching, but continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half (about 7-8 minutes). Remove the thyme sprigs.
• Layer the potatoes, kohlrabi, thinly sliced bacon and dots of the butter with the reduced cream and season with salt and pepper in between the layers. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender when tested with a wooden skewer or the sharp point of a knife.
• Meanwhile, make the garlic crumbs. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring continuously, until they start to turn golden. Add the butter and continue cooking until the crumbs are golden brown. Tip the crumbs onto a tray, stir through the garlic granules and onion powder and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, scatter the hot gratin with the garlicky crumbs, then the chopped herbs and grated Parmesan.

Taken from Turnips’ Edible Almanac by Fred Foster, published by DK at £27. Photography by Matt Russell, 2022. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £21.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.