Gourmess Sunchoke and Potato Gratin

Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

Butter a casserole/gratin dish and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes and boil for about 10 minutes, until they are just starting to soften. (Alternately, you can use one of those Ziploc steamer bags — put the artichokes in one bag and the potatoes in another and zap in the microwave for about 5 minutes each.) Drain and cool, then peel off the skins (use your fingers or a knife) and slice potatoes into rounds about the thickness of two quarters.

Put a layer of the potato slices on the bottom of the buttered dish, overlapping them a bit. Add a few squares of butter, a pinch of the garlic, parsley and nutmeg, and season to taste with salt/pepper.

Top with a layer of the Jerusalem artichokes, butter, herbs, etc. and repeat the layers until all your ingredients are used up.

Pour about 1 cup of heavy cream over the top surface and place the dish in the oven. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top browns and the cream thickens.

Take the dish out of the oven, add the remaining cream, top with the grated cheese and put back in the oven. Raise the oven temperature to 450F and bake about 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is bubbly, the gratin is golden brown and the cream is custard-like. Serve and enjoy!