Old School Potatoes

This is a true old school recipe. The cabbage and white wine are delicious in this dish and do not overshadow the potato and cheese, rather complement them. But, alas if you are resolute in your hatred of cabbage, find another potato gratin dish.

3 cups sliced white cabbage
1 large or 2 medium shallots, sliced
Half bottle of dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1 tablespoon butter
4-6 ounces Appenzeller, Gruyere or any strong ‘Swiss’ cheese, shredded
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste
¾ cup (2 dl) heavy cream

1) Place cabbage, shallots, wine, salt and sugar into a small soup pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and gently simmer, covered or not, until the liquid is almost evaporated-- about one hour.

2) Butter a 9” by 13” baking dish (any sort of shape will do-- just remember that the deeper the dish, the longer the potatoes will need to bake). Layer the bottom with 1/3 of the potatoes, overlapping a bit. Sprinkle with salt and arrange half of the cabbage on top, then sprinkle half of the Swiss cheese and some Parmesan. Repeat, using up all of the cabbage but none of the Swiss cheese on the second layer. On the last layer (the top layer), sprinkle salt, Parmesan, Swiss cheese on top of the potatoes, then pour the cream over to dribble down into the dish.

3) Cover with foil and bake in a 350F oven for about 45 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking until the cheese is golden and the dish is bubbly.

Serves 6-8