Peas Au Gratin

Peas Au Gratin

My husband and I just returned from a weekend in Arizona visiting our daughter who's away at college. It was an awesome time seeing her there in her element, all grown up and living away from us and all but it also made me long for the times when my kids were little and, of course, still at home.


Coincidentally, around the same time a friend had asked me for a potatoes au gratin recipe, and it reminded me of one of our family favorites that I hadn't made in quite some time - Peas Au Gratin. It's been one of my kids' favorites for many years - even choosing it over potatoes au gratin, broccoli au gratin, and any other vegetable you could slather in a creamy cheddary sauce, top with sharp cheddar cheese and bake in the oven until bubbly and melty on the inside, and crispy on the outside.


Anyway, food can be very sentimental, evoking sights and sounds of the past, so this evening I made the Peas Au Gratin and served it alongside a rotisserie chicken I picked up at the market. Simple and satisfying - in more ways than one.

fresh green garden peas I picked up at Gelson's, shelling only took a few minutes

Serves 4

Oven 350 degrees F

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons salted butter

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon of white pepper (or finely ground black pepper)
pinch of nutmeg (I use fresh grated)

1 1/4 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (I used an aged New York sharp cheddar cheese)

*2 cups shelled fresh green garden peas OR one 16-ounce bag of frozen peas (either will work well), see Cook's note


(*2 cups shelled peas are equal to approximately 2 pounds of unshelled peas/peas still in their pods)

To make the cheese sauce: In small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then add flour, salt, and pepper and stir to combine, making a roux or paste.

Next add milk and stir or whisk constantly until mixture is thick, bubbly and smooth. This is your béchamel or white sauce - the base for your cheese sauce. Add a pinch of nutmeg and stir. Remove from heat and immediately add 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is melted in and completely combined.

Place peas in medium size baking dish, pour cheese sauce over, and mix together. Sprinkle remainder of cheddar cheese over top and bake in oven for 30 minutes until dish is bubbling and hot, and top is lightly browned. Place under broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes, keeping an eye on it so  it doesn't burn, but allowing it to get crispy on top.

roux on the left, béchamel sauce on the right

before oven on the left, just out from broiler on the right

Cook's note:  When using fresh green garden peas, first rinse the pods. To shell hold each pod vertically with a seam facing you, pinch the stem then run your thumbs down the seam, pulling open at the same time, like you're opening a book. The pod should pop open exposing the peas. Remove the peas by running your thumb or fingers through the inside of the pod. Rinse peas before using.