Crunchy Pumpkin Gratin with Bacon

This recipe has the best of everything - cheesy crunchy gratin topping, creamy mustard & garlic sauce, AND bacon!!!! Yep - it's got the lot - you wouldn't even guess it was based around a vegetable. The pumpkin brings such a sweet flavour to the dish, and contrasts really well with the savoury notes from the sage, garlic & parmesan.

I enjoyed it that much that I had it for lunch today, after I photographed it. Yes - again - anyone who has been reading my posts for a while will be getting the point by now that I like to eat what I cook. Lucky for my waistline that I like to cook & photograph in the morning so I can eat my creations for lunch, or I would be having four meals a day instead of three.

On the subject of taking & editing photos, this is a skill I am still learning...at the moment it is just me and my iphone trying to capture decent photos which do the recipes justice & makes you guys want to try them.

Please bear with me, like all things blogging it is a very steep learning curve. I'd like to think I'm improving though - but some photos are still better than others. Lucky for me I'm a better cook than photographer! ? ?

Please enjoy my Crunchy Pumpkin Gratin with Bacon,

Lee-Ann ♥

Suggested Mains/Accompaniments:

Pesto Lamb Cutlets with Prosciutto

Red Wine & Garlic Lamb Shanks

Beer Braised Short Ribs with Mustard

📖 Recipe

Crunchy Pumpkin Gratin with Bacon

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A creamy pumpkin gratin with mustard, garlic & sage, topped with a cheesy bacon crumb

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Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Serving: 4 as a side

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Lee-Ann Grace

Ingredients

• 1 kg butternut pumpkin / 2.2 lbs - usually 2 halves - see notes
• 300 ml pure cream
• 1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage (about 6-8 leaves)
• 2 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 3 garlic cloves - crushed
• pinch fine salt
• ⅓ cup grated parmesan (20g)
• ⅓ cup day old bread crumbs (I used sourdough)
• 2 bacon rashers - roughly chopped

Instructions

• Pre heat oven to 190c fan forced / 375f
• Slice pumpkin into 1 cm / ⅓ inch slices, discarding skin & seeds - see notes for my handy tips for easy peeling
• Arrange pumpkin slices in a baking dish, overlapping slightly to create ridges for the crumble to sit on (see notes)
• Combine fresh sage, mustards, garlic & salt in a medium jug and mix, then add 1-2 tablespoon of cream to mustard mixture, stirring to combine, then add remaining cream and mix well
• Pour cream mixture over pumpkin in prepared baking dish, pouring to coat from the top down on each slice of pumpkin - cover with aluminium foil and bake for 40 mins
• Meanwhile, to make the crumble - place the bacon, breadcrumbs & parmesan in a small bowl, mix well to combine
• Remove pumpkin from oven, carefully lift off foil (steam will escape) and using a small spoon, ladle over some of the excess cream mixture to coat the pumpkin
• Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the pumpkin slices, particularly on the ridges or steps between the slices and any high spots
• Bake for 15 mins uncovered & serve immediately 

Notes

Place one pumpkin half, cut side down (with skin still on) on the kitchen bench with the long side facing you. Using a sharp knife cut 1 cm / ⅓ inch slices working from right to left (I'm right handed!) Once you have your slices cut, use a vegetable peeler to peel off the skin from each individual slice. Then I just use a knife to cut around any seeds that need removing.

I buy butternut pumpkin that is already pre-cut in half - I just buy 2 halves. The amount of pumpkin that I have specified in the recipe (1 kg) is before I peel & slice it - once it's peeled & sliced it weighs about 800 g.

I like to arrange the pumpkin slices upright, but leaning over - see my photos - this gives you lots of ridges & high spots to put your crumble. This way you get plenty of crunch to the topping but still get a creamy sauce too.

When you arrange the slices in the dish it's a bit of a jigsaw, I cut the slices that had seeds (so are now a "c" shape) in half or thirds if large and fit them into any vacant spaces.

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*