Root Cellar Gratin with Whipped Goat Cheese & Blistered Pepper Vinaigrette
This is a rich, layered gratin that brings together everything I love about Central Texas in the fall — roots pulled from the soil at Eden East, milk and cheese from nearby dairies, and enough garlic and thyme to make the house smell like gratitude itself.
Each gratin bakes in its own mini cast iron pan, crowned with a golden crust of asiago and a cloud of whipped goat cheese. A drizzle of blistered pepper vinaigrette and a handful of hearty greens add a bright, smoky counterpoint. This is farmhouse cooking dressed up just enough — big flavor, zero pretense, and a whole lot of love for the farmers who make it possible.
This is a rich, layered gratin that brings together everything I love about Central Texas in the fall — roots pulled from the soil at Eden East, milk and cheese from nearby dairies, and enough garlic and thyme to make the house smell like gratitude itself.
Each gratin bakes in its own mini cast iron pan, crowned with a golden crust of asiago and a cloud of whipped goat cheese. A drizzle of blistered pepper vinaigrette and a handful of hearty greens add a bright, smoky counterpoint. This is farmhouse cooking dressed up just enough — big flavor, zero pretense, and a whole lot of love for the farmers who make it possible.
New American • Salads & Sides • Gluten-Free · Egg-Free · Soy-Free · Nut-Free · Sesame-Free · Vegetarian
Colors:
Tastes:
🍋🧂🍬🍵🌶️
Techniques:
🌿🥒🔥
Tested by 
•Cooked and tested by the Valentiful team
Rating:
Yield: 72 oz Gratin · 1 cup Vinaigrette
Serves: 12 (6 oz servings)
Time: Active 1h 10m · Inactive 20m · Total 1h 30m
Equipment: No equipment specified
Ingredients
Neutral Oil (for greasing pans)
4 lbs Parsnips (Hakurei Japanese Turnips), sliced
2 cups Hard Cheeses (divided)
½ lb Shishito Peppers or Sweet Peppers (blistered)
¼ cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Agave Syrup
1 clove Garlic, roasted
Salt (Kosher Salt), to taste
Black Peppercorn, cracked, to taste
Sourcing Tips
Cheeses:
- Asiago is easy to find at most grocery stores, but if you’re looking for a local replacement, go for Lira Rossa’s Latteria Vecchio — its a raw milk cheese aged 365 days in Moulton, TX.
- For the goat cheese, I recommend chèvre from Pure Luck Dairy — it’s tangy, velvety, and made just up the road in Dripping Springs.
- You can find both Lira Rossa and Pure Luck at Mueller Farmers Market.
Instructions
In a saucepan, combine the cream, milk, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves.
Bring just to a simmer, then remove from heat.
Let steep for 15 minutes to infuse all that garlicky-herbal goodness into the cream. Strain and discard solids.
Preheat oven to 350 °F.
Lightly oil twelve 6-8 oz mini cast iron pans (or a large casserole if you prefer one big gratin).
Scrub or peel the root vegetables as needed.
Using a mandoline or the slicing blade of a food processor, slice each vegetable into thin rounds (about 1⁄8 inch thick).
Shingle the thinly sliced root vegetables into each pan.
Pause halfway through to season with salt and white pepper, and sprinkle with half the grated asiago.
Ladle the warm cream mixture over each until just covered.
Cover pans with foil.
Set pans on sheet trays (to catch any bubbling cream).
Bake with foil on until a knife slips easily through the vegetables — about 40 minutes for individual pans or up to 60 minutes for one large casserole.
Chef Tip: While the gratins are parbaking, its a great time to also roast the garlic you'll need for the dressing.
In a medium bowl, combine chèvre, cream, and olive oil. Whisk or stir vigorously by hand until fluffy and smooth.
• A hand mixer works too, but it’s not necessary.
Chill until ready to serve.
Char peppers in a cast iron pan or over an open flame until blistered all over.
Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend the peppers with roasted garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and honey until smooth but still a little textured. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Uncover, top each pan with remaining asiago and dollops of whipped goat cheese.
Return to the oven for 15 minutes (or broiler for 8-10 minutes) until bubbling and beautifully golden.
Present each gratin piping hot in its cast iron pan.
Toss winter greens with the blistered pepper vinaigrette and serve on the side — or artfully atop each gratin.
Serving & Keeping
Serve: Hot
Make ahead: The whipped goat cheese can be prepped several days ahead.
The gratin can be assembled and baked (covered) one day ahead. After the initial 40–60 minute bake, let cool, keep covered, and refrigerate overnight. Pick up at step 6, to do the final bake just before serving.
Keeps: Refrigerate leftovers in their pans, covered, up to 3 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven until hot through.
Leftover Ideas: - Extra vinaigrette doubles as a dressing for roasted vegetables, a marinade for chicken, or a drizzle for grilled fish.
- Roasted garlic is great for spreading on bread, tossing with pasta, pureeing into sauces (ie. aioli, hummus, tomato sauce), stirring into soups, etc.
Serve with: Pairs beautifully with roast turkey, pan seared duck, charred Brussels sprouts, or a crisp kale and apple salad.
Sourcing Tips
Cheeses:
- Asiago is easy to find at most grocery stores, but if you’re looking for a local replacement, go for Lira Rossa’s Latteria Vecchio — its a raw milk cheese aged 365 days in Moulton, TX.
- For the goat cheese, I recommend chèvre from Pure Luck Dairy — it’s tangy, velvety, and made just up the road in Dripping Springs.
- You can find both Lira Rossa and Pure Luck at Mueller Farmers Market.
Serving & Keeping
Serve: Hot
Make ahead: The whipped goat cheese can be prepped several days ahead.
The gratin can be assembled and baked (covered) one day ahead. After the initial 40–60 minute bake, let cool, keep covered, and refrigerate overnight. Pick up at step 6, to do the final bake just before serving.
Keeps: Refrigerate leftovers in their pans, covered, up to 3 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven until hot through.
Leftover Ideas: - Extra vinaigrette doubles as a dressing for roasted vegetables, a marinade for chicken, or a drizzle for grilled fish.
- Roasted garlic is great for spreading on bread, tossing with pasta, pureeing into sauces (ie. aioli, hummus, tomato sauce), stirring into soups, etc.
Serve with: Pairs beautifully with roast turkey, pan seared duck, charred Brussels sprouts, or a crisp kale and apple salad.
Recipe Story
Roasted garlic is one of those chef secrets that makes everything taste better — perfect for impromptu flavor boosts. It’s so easy to do, especially since you already have the oven on for the gratin. And once you’ve made it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without these sweet, silky, spreadable garlic cloves. That being said, if you want to swap in raw garlic for the vinaigrette, that’s perfectly fine!
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