Potato and Cauliflower Au Gratin

Au gratin is a french potato dish prepared with cheese, butter, and cooked with onions and garlic browned in the oven. We’re taking this classic french dish and giving it our vegan twist. Our POTATO CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN has a creamy layer underneath a browned sprinkling of nutritional yeast and vegan parmesan. Nutritional yeast is a vegan’s dietary best friend. Aside from having a cheesy flavor, it can help in building a stronger immune system, and it’s full of vitamins like B12, which often is lacking in food a vegan would consume. So, if you’re new to the veggie journey, get yourself a container. You’ll be surprised at what a difference it makes! Now that I have shared our love for nutritional yeast–I should get back to this dreamy dish of cauliflower and potatoes. If you’re a fan of cauliflower rice, you’re sure to like this dish. We cook large florets of cauliflower and thick slices of potato in simple salt water. Then prepared a vegan mornay sauce to fold the cooked veggies into. A traditional french mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese added. We haven’t found a vegan variety of these cheeses so we’ve opted for vegan shredded parmesan. In our vegan mornay sauce is a subtle tinge of spice that you’ll ask yourself–What is that? It comes from a smidge of ground nutmeg. It’s an ingredient that really gives this dish, shall we say, je ne sais quoi. So, let’s get cooking! 

POTATO CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN
INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Cups medium sized cauliflower florets
• 3 medium to large russet potatoes, thickly sliced
• salt
• enough water to cover the potatoes and cauliflower

VEGAN MORNAY INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 Cup (vegan) butter
• A generous swirl of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Small onion, chopped
• 3 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Cups plant milk, plus more if needed (we used an almond/cashew blend)
• 1/4 Cup nutritional yeast, plus 1 Tablespoon for top of casserole 
• 1 Teaspoon of each; garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, and dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Cup (vegan) shredded parmesan, plus 1 Tablespoon for top

METHOD:

1. Start by adding the potatoes, cauliflower, a couple dashes of salt, and water in a large saucepan. Bring water to a boil and cook until veggies are fork tender. Drain and set aside.
2. In a separate medium saucepan melt butter and extra virgin olive oil. Add celery, garlic cloves, and onion. Cook until translucent. Add flour stirring to make a paste. Add 2 cups milk, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried parsley, and ground nutmeg. Stir until combined then add 1/2 cup (vegan) parmesan. 
3. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. 
4. Pour in the cooked potatoes and cauliflower. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
5. Pour vegan mornay sauce over the veggies and fold through.
6. Sprinkle with extra nutritional yeast and (vegan) parmesan. Along with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few shakes to taste of salt and pepper.
7. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes uncovered.
8. After removing from the oven, let sit for about 10 minutes to let the casserole settle before serving.
9. Enjoy!