Potato and Broccoli Casserole

Fridays have always been a pasta/pizza days at my home, so far. Not that my loyalties have changed, but I felt like eating something different and give a surprise to Friday. I looked up the Internet and did find some interesting stuff, but I didn’t have some or the other item in my pantry.

And, then I had an idea, bling!! Why not make something with whatever I have. I have anyways wanted to try Potato au gratin, and they were there in my pantry as well. They are always there, like the best friend who always stays by your side, no matter what. So, I looked up some recipes and I knew what I wanted to make – a mix of potato au gratin and a humble casserole. Well, since that day I have made it thrice; me and Abhishek love it so much. This Potato and Broccoli Casserole is my new found love.

 

Ingredients for Potato and Broccoli Casserole

• Potatoes – 5-6 (medium)
• Broccoli – 250 gm
• Onion – 1 big
• All Purpose Flour – 2 tbsp
• Milk – 400 ml
• Butter – 50 gm
• Cheese – 100 gm (any pizza cheese; grated)
• Herbs – 2 tbsp (I used thyme, parsley, and basil)
• Black pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Oil – 2-3 tbsp

 

Method for Potato and Broccoli Casserole

1. Slice the potatoes, approximately 1/4 inch thick.
2. Heat a pan and shallow fry the potato slices. The idea is just to make them a little soft yet crisp. Do not cook them completely. You can also boil them until half cooked and avoid the shallow fry step. Set the potatoes aside on an absorbent paper.
3. In the same pan, saute the onions and broccoli. You can also use steamed broccoli and not saute it.
4. Now, for the white sauce, take butter in a heated pan, and then add the flour. Keep stirring to not let the flour stick to the pan. It should be like a thick golden paste.
5. Take the pan off the gas stove, add cold milk and whisk it well. Make sure there are no lumps.
6. Put the pan back on the gas stove on low heat mode and keep stirring the sauce.
7. Add salt, pepper, herbs and finally the cheese (keep some for sprinkling at the top in the end), and again give it a quick stir. The sauce will start to thicken. This is when you turn the heat off. You can adjust the milk as per the thickness of sauce. It shouldn’t be runny nor a thick paste.
8. Pre-heat the oven at 200 C while we assemble our casserole.
9. Take a baking dish and layer it with potatoes, next add a layer of sauce, and then a layer of the onion broccoli mix and then the sauce again. Repeat until you have no left veggies. The top layer should be that of the sauce.
10. Finally, sprinkle some cheese on top and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and tada!
11. Serve hot with bread or just like that. I served it with store bought herb bread and some spinach tomato salad.