Potato and Rutabaga Gratin
From Cookbook Author James Peterson adapted by StarChefs

Yield: 6 to 8 side-dish servings

Ingredients:

• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 cup milk combined with 1 cup heavy cream, or 2 cups half-and-half
• 2 medium (about 1 and one-half pounds total) waxy potatoes
• 1 rutabaga (2 pounds), peeled
• 1 cup (about 3 ounces) grated Swiss Gruyere or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
• salt and freshly groound black pepper
• One-quarter teaspoon grated nutmeg

  Method:
  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  Rub the inside of a large, oval gratin dish or square or rectangular baking dish with butter. Crush the garlic clove into a fine paste with the side of a chef's knife and combine it in a saucepan with the milk and cream.

  Peel the potatoes -- keep them under cold water if you're not using them right away -- and slice them into three-sixteenth-inch-thick rounds with a mandolin, vegetable slicer, or by hand.

  Peel the rutabaga into rounds the same thickness as the potatoes. Cut the rutabaga in half to make the slicing easier.

  Bring the milk and cream mixture to a simmer.

  Arrange the potato and rutabaga slices in alternating layers in the gratin dish, sprinkling each layer with cheese, the milk and cream mixture, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. You should end up with 2 layers of potatoes and 2 layers of rutabaga. Save a fourth of the grated cheese for sprinkling over the top of the gratin.

  Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the top of the gratin is golden brown and the vegetables are easily penetrated with a paring knife.