Vegetable Tian

This right here might just be the best side dish ever made. This is a recipe by Ina Garten of Food Network's "Barefoot Contessa" and it is delicious. I've made it a couple times, Mark's mom has made it a few times, and every time it turns out great. The original recipe just calls for a bed of onions topped with slices of potato, zucchini, and tomato. Since I had an eggplant to use up, I decided to slice that up as well, grill it first, then add the grilled slices to the mix. This is also one of the easiest side dishes to make compared to how it looks when served. It's very "showy", which as you know, I really like. :-)

Here's how you put this dish together:

Start by slicing up your veggies and picking your fresh herbs.



Next, heat some olive oil in a large pan and slowly cook the sliced onions for about 10 minutes until they are soft and begin to caramelize.



I grilled up my eggplant drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper over high heat.



Lightly oil a glass baking dish with olive oil, then line the bottom with the caramelized onions. Next, alternate the different types of vegetables slices until the whole dish is filled.



Drizzle olive oil over the whole thing, then season with salt, pepper, fresh thyme and add basil as I did if you like.



Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and uncover.



Sprinkle your choice of cheese over the whole thing, then bake uncovered for another 30 minutes.



After you remove the tian from the oven, let it sit for a few minutes, then serve. Yum!



Vegetable Tian
Copyright, 2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved
Show: Barefoot Contessa



Good olive oil
2 large yellow onions, cut in half and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound medium round potatoes, unpeeled
3/4 pound zucchini
1 1/4 pounds medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs
2 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with olive oil. In a medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the onions over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes in 1/4-inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly, making only 1 layer. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves, and thyme sprigs and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of olive oil. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Uncover the dish, remove the thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese on top, and bake for another 30 minutes until browned. Serve warm.