Southern Comfort (16 page)

Fill a large stockpot with water and season it with enough salt so it tastes like sea water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Fill a bowl with ice water and have nearby.

Meanwhile, trim off the leaves of the collards, removing the central rib and stem; discard the ribs and stems. Drop the leaves into the rapidly boiling water and cook in batches, being careful not to drop the temperature of the water. Boil, uncovered, until the collards are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked collards to the ice water bath to stop cooking and cool down.

Once the collards are cool, remove them from the ice water bath and squeeze them to remove as much water as you can. Chop the collards finely and reserve.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Decrease the heat to low and add the shallots, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook the shallots until they are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the cream, increase the heat to medium and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove the thyme and bay leaf. Stir in the collards and cook until they are warm and coated well with the cream.

To serve, sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

In a large saucepan, combine the peas, lima beans, bay leaf, 2 sprigs of the thyme, stock, whole carrot, whole celery stalk, onion halves, and garlic head. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. (Do not season your beans now; you never season beans at the beginning of cooking because this would make them tough.)

While the beans are simmering, with a ladle or large spoon, skim off the scum on the surface. Cook the peas and beans until just tender, about 20 minutes. Once the beans are cooked, remove the herbs, carrot, celery, onion, and garlic from the pan and discard.

To finish the dish, add the diced carrot, diced celery, diced onion, salt, pepper, and butter to the pan. Return the stock with the beans and peas to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the liquid is glossy and emulsified, about 20 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the remaining 2 sprigs thyme. Garnish with the thyme leaves for fragrance and serve.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

To make the truffle cream, in a saucepan, combine the salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, truffle oil, truffle puree, Parmesan, and cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, whisking occasionally. Once the mixture reaches a simmer, turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, have a bowl of cool water nearby. Peel all of the potatoes, submerging them in the cool water to prevent discoloration. With 1 tablespoon of the butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Using a mandoline, carefully slice the potatoes ⅛ inch thick, keeping the sweet potato slices and Yukon gold potato slices separate.

Starting with the Yukon golds, arrange the potato slices in a shingle-like pattern in the casserole dish, overlapping the edges slightly. Using a ½-cup measure, scoop and pour the truffle cream evenly over the layer of potatoes, making sure to mix the cream each time before scooping it.

Next, arrange a layer of sweet potatoes and cream. Repeat the process, alternating layers of Yukon golds and sweet potatoes, until you have nine layers, ending with the Yukon golds. Dot the top of the gratin with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper over the top.

Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 1¾ hours. Remove the foil and parchment paper and bake until the top is browned, about 15 more minutes.

Let the gratin rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the squash. Quarter the squash lengthwise, remove the seeds, and cut the squash into ¼-inch dice. Cut the onion into ¼-inch dice as well.

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the diced squash, season with the salt and pepper, and cook until the squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and thyme before serving.