I've always done nice veggies in our ovens, and wanted to experiement with Gratin dishes, so I got a Gratin cookbook from our friends at 10 Speed Press (publisher of American Pie, the Bread Bakers Apprentice, etc.). It's really good.

I tried two -- a baked potato gratin and a baked vegetable. I cooked the potatoes in a covered terra cotta pan, and it was great. The cream, the stock and the cheese all cooked together and the potatoes were done just right. I did it next to the poor, embarassed vertical chicken.

It makes me think that all gratin and baked vegetable dishes will be excellent.

Ingredients
1 lb potatoes, washed, scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 onion
4 tbl butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbl grate parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Preparation
1. Rinse, then thinly slice the potatoes and onion. We used a mandolin.

2. Layer 1/3 of your potatoes and onions in a terra cotta baking dish. Dot with 1/3 the butter, then salt and pepper.

3. Continue layering until you have used all the potatoes.

4. Pour the cream and stock into the dish, use the last of the butter, and cover the top with the cheese. Cover the dish either with a lid, or a layer of aluminum foil.

Cooking
1. Place in a moderately hot oven for one hour. Remove the cover for the final 10 minutes.