Cauliflower Gratin with Lardons

📝 Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower (about 1 kg, i.e. 700 g florets)
• 800 g waxy potatoes (about 5 medium)
• 300 g turkey lardons (2 packs of 150 g)
• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 600 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 35 g cornflour
• 100 g grated Emmental (70 g for the sauce, 30 g for the topping)
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Frying pan
• Small saucepan
• Whisk
• Gratin dish (30 × 20 cm)

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 5 mm slices. Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, cut it into walnut-sized florets with a knife (cutting the larger ones again) and rinse them.
2. Put the potatoes in a large pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. After 3 min of boiling, add the florets and cook for another 5 min: everything should be just tender but still firm. Drain and leave to dry for 5 min in the colander.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the lardons for 5 to 6 min, stirring, until nicely coloured. Drain them on kitchen paper.
4. For the béchamel, mix the cornflour with a quarter of the cold milk in a bowl until there are no lumps left. Heat the rest of the milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it just starts to simmer.
5. Pour the cornflour mixture into the hot milk, whisking constantly, and cook for 2 to 3 min over a low heat, still whisking, until the sauce thickens and coats the spoon. Off the heat, add 70 g of Emmental and the nutmeg, season with pepper and a little salt: the lardons are already salty.
6. In the gratin dish, gently mix the potatoes, cauliflower and lardons. Pour the béchamel evenly over the top, letting it run down between the vegetables, then sprinkle with the remaining 30 g of Emmental.
7. Bake for 25 min, until the top is nicely golden and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. For a crispier crust, put it under the grill for another 2 to 3 min, keeping an eye on it.
8. Leave to rest for 5 min out of the oven before serving: the sauce holds together better and the children won't burn themselves.