Provencal Summer Potato and Tomato Gratin

Lovely herbed baked tomatoes with a cheesy crust and potatoes to balance the intense roasted tomato flavour and add texture and substance to the dish.

Though the baking time is fairly long, prep time is minimal, especially if you don’t peel the potatoes, and the gratin can be assembled well in advance. I made the recipe in individual dishes and it made 6 generous portions. I used new Yukon Gold potatoes, which maintained their shape nicely during baking, and Roma tomatoes.

Next time, I’ll finely chop the rosemary and add it to the tomatoes with the thyme and garlic as I didn’t enjoy picking out the needles that fell off the sprig after it was baked. Also, I would add the cheese at the very end and put the gratin under the broiler to melt it…there’s such a thin layer that it was over-browned after 30 minutes of baking.

Served with a salad, this was a light yet satisfying main course.

A lovely and filling dish - with the flavor of summer. I used half yukon gold and half red-skinned new potatoes, unskinned. And I used a combination of different tomato types - some roma, but mostly heirlooms of various kinds.

I followed Zosia's advice and didn't use the rosemary twigs. Instead, I minced fresh rosemary leaves, and sprinkled them over the top of the tomatoes.

The gruyere is such a flavorful cheese, it really set off the dish. I heeded Zosia's advice, and added the cheese only in the last 10 minutes. That got it melty, and then the broiled made it look good.

As Zosia said, relatively little effort for a large amount of tasty food. Four of us ate 1/2 of this dish - but we also had soup and kale.