Hi Reader,

The One and I have an unspoken agreement about baked mac and cheese and gratins.
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That’s a lie. I’ve spoken about it. Often.
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​The crispy edges are mine.​
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You can have the creamy middle. Help yourself to those tender potatoes swimming in cream, the macaroni under its blanket of cheese, the sweet squash or cauliflower tucked underneath. Lovely. Enjoy.
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I’m after the perimeter.
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You know the part I mean. That two-inch strip where cheese has bubbled against the baking dish until it turns bronze and crisp. Where bread crumbs become impossibly crunchy. Where cream cooks down and clings to the edges in salty, cheesy little deposits that require some determined scraping with the serving spoon.
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And October is when I start making them. The evenings are cooler, dinner needs a little heft, and potatoes dauphinoise or a bubbling dish of mac and cheese stops feeling excessive. It feels necessary.
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Just remember: If you invite me over, give me a corner piece.
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Otherwise, things could get ugly.

In Praise of the Burnished Bits

• Slice evenly. For potato, root vegetable, or squash gratins, consistent slices mean everything becomes tender at roughly the same time. A mandoline makes quick work of it. Just watch your damn fingers.
• Season every layer. Don’t wait until the top to bring in the salt and pepper. Potatoes, pasta, cauliflower, and squash need seasoning throughout, or you’ll end up with a browned top over a bland interior.
• Keep the sauce loose enough. Pasta continues absorbing liquid in the oven, and vegetables release and absorb moisture as they bake. What looks a touch saucy going in often emerges exactly right.
• Give the top some texture. Cheese is wonderful. Cheese plus buttery bread crumbs is better. That contrast between creamy underneath and crisp on top is the entire reason we’re gathered here today.
• Pale gratin is unfinished gratin. Leave it in until the top is bubbling and dark gold, with those crunchy edges forming around the dish. Then wait a few minutes before serving, if you possess that kind of self-control.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​French Onion Mac & Cheese​
• ​Potatoes Dauphinoise​
• ​Baked Mac & Cheese With Bread Crumbs​
• ​Root Vegetable Gratin​
• ​Butternut Squash Gratin​
• ​Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin​
• ​Hominy Au Gratin​
• ​Belgian Endive Gratin​

​French Onion Mac & Cheese​

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? The same thing that happens when French onion soup meets mac & cheese: glorious mayhem. The crispy caramelized onion and Gruyère topping on this dish is absolutely ridiculous.

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​Potatoes Dauphinoise​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 from 12 votes

Potatoes Dauphinoise are potatoes, cream, cheese, and a French lineage. They're like scalloped potatoes and potatoes au gratin but are even more fancy but without being fussy. We really don't think comfort food gets any more comfort-y than this.

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​Baked Mac & Cheese With Bread Crumbs​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.72 from 14 votes

This baked macaroni and cheese boasts all the cheesy goodness of the usual American classic but with the spectacular addition of crunchy, buttery crumbs on top as well as the bonus points that it can be prepared in advance. What’s not to love?!

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​Root Vegetable Gratin​

This root vegetable gratin, made with turnips, rutabaga, celeriac, and potatoes that are cooked in a cheesy cream sauce, tastes so comforting and indulgent you'll find it hard to believe it's full of vegetables.

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​Butternut Squash Gratin​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.96 from 21 votes

This butternut squash gratin is a lot like like a scalloped potato casserole except it's made with winter squash instead of spuds along with onions, garlic, butter, heavy cream, cheese, and bread crumbs. A simple--and simply elegant--side for Thanksgiving as well as a random weeknight.

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​Cauliflower-Bacon Gratin​

If the French celebrated Thanksgiving, I’m sure they’d find a place at the table for this cauliflower gratin. Simply made, appealingly rustic, and very tasty, it can sit alongside the main course or, with a little salad (and maybe even some cranberry sauce), take the stage alone for brunch, lunch, or supper.

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​Hominy Au Gratin​

Hominy au gratin is the side dish of your dreams. Creamy, cheesy, buttery, and just like you remember--if you were lucky enough to grow up with food like this.

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​Belgian Endive Gratin​

Belgian endive gratin is a classic French dish. Endive and prosciutto (or ham) are covered in cream and topped with cheese and bread crumbs. It makes a wonderful cold-weather comfort dish.

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