As you know, I love to respect the seasonality of fruits and vegetables, and with the arrival of spring, I have left behind my favorite winter vegetables like pumpkin, broccoli, and cauliflower, to make room for beloved asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and fresh legumes! Today, I therefore want to share with you a variant of my usual asparagus and potato gratin recipe, to further enrich it with flavor! I added a layer of sweet Piccadilly cherry tomatoes between the layers of potatoes. For this recipe, cherry or datterini tomatoes will also work, as long as they are small, sweet, and tasty! Finally, for a perfect gratin, I embellished the last layer with Sicilian almonds, which will give a final touch of great crunchiness! You can enjoy this dish as a simple yet rich side dish or bring it to the table as a main course or vegetarian-style second course. Let it cool, and it will become a delicious appetizer to pair with an aperitif or the perfect lunchbox to take with you wherever you go!
Below you can find other similar ideas for inspiration:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
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- 1.1 lbs asparagus
- 3 potatoes (medium)
- 7 oz cherry tomatoes (Piccadilly)
- 7 oz mozzarella
- 1.8 oz grated Parmesan
- 1.8 oz breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp coarse breadcrumbs (for the final gratin)
- 0.7 oz almonds
- to taste chives
- to taste oregano
- 0.7 oz butter
- 1.4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools:
- 1 Potato Peeler
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Asparagus Steamer
- 1 Pan
- 1 Baking Dish
Steps
Start by washing and trimming the asparagus, that is, removing the white and usually tougher end of the stalk, trimming them to ensure even cooking*. Peel the asparagus with the help of a potato peeler or gently with a small knife until the stalk is free of all the fibrous part**.
Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices, 1/16 inch to 1/8 inch thick at most.
Then proceed to do the same with the cherry tomatoes, washing them thoroughly and slicing them to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
In the meantime, immerse the asparagus in salted boiling water in a vertical position with the tips out, inside an asparagus steamer or a tall, narrow pan, and blanch them starting from the boil, for about 7–8 minutes.
In the same cooking water as the asparagus, blanch the potatoes for 5–6 minutes.
Once the vegetables have been blanched and drained, butter a baking dish, sprinkle it with a tablespoon of fine breadcrumbs, and evenly distribute a first layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with chives to taste and 1–2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan.
Create a second layer with all the cherry tomato slices, season with salt and pepper, flavor with oregano to taste, garnish with some mozzarella slices, and finally drizzle with olive oil.
Proceed to create a third layer with the remaining potatoes and finally, place the asparagus horizontally for the length of your baking dish. Finish with mozzarella slices, a few pats of butter, Parmesan, the finer breadcrumbs, and a couple of tablespoons of the coarser kind.
Finally, finish with a handful of coarsely chopped almonds for a perfect gratin and place in a preheated oven at 375°F for about 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are well cooked and golden on top.
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
And voilà… the potatoes, cherry tomatoes and asparagus gratin with Sicilian almonds are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store the potato, cherry tomatoes and asparagus gratin in the fridge inside single-serving containers suitable for refrigeration for 2-3 days.
Tips and Suggestions
🔵*To determine how much stem to remove, you can bend the asparagus until it breaks at the junction between the tough part and the more tender part.
🔵** If you have purchased wild asparagus, being very tender and thin, they will not need to be peeled.
🔵You can replace the mozzarella with another cheese of your choice, as long as it is a stringy cheese, which will give more flavor to the whole. It is also possible to make a version using a ricotta cream (egg, nutmeg, and salt) and slices of prosciutto crudo or cooked ham. 
Finally, instead of almonds, you can add chopped hazelnuts or pistachios, also coarsely chopped. All equally delicious and successful versions.
