Vegetable Medallions (Ikea inspired) Karl’s Grönsakskaka

Vegetable Medallions

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes, peeled and finely diced into 5mm cubes (yields 2 cups)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped brown onions
3 tbsp chopped green onions/scallions
1 cup broccoli florets, roughly chopped
1 tsp chopped thyme/parsley
1/8 tsp onion powder (optional)
1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese (Swiss or Tasty/Cheddar), plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Extra butter for greasing

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease 12 x 1/3 cup (80ml) muffin pans with butter.

Heat up the butter in a large pan and add the brown onions, green onions, potatoes and broccoli. Sautee for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add thyme/parsley, onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and fry for 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add cheese, cream and eggs. Mix well.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan and level the top. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese if desired. Bake in oven for 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool completely in the tin. Use a thin bladed plastic knife and gently remove the "medallions" from the pan. Serve as a side dish or just as a snack on its own. Enjoy!

Tip: Refrigerate any leftovers for a few hours until firm. Then, take them out and pan-fry them in a little oil on both sides until browned and crisp.

Recipe from here.


Second Version Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbs. butter
½ medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 small leek, halved lengthwise and sliced finely (about 1 cup)
¼ tsp. Kosher salt

2 large Russet potatoes (2½-3 cups)
1 small broccoli crown, do not chop (about 1 cup)

2 eggs
¼ cup crème fraiche
¼ cup half and half cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste
½ tsp. black pepper

⅓ lb. Emmental or Jarlsberg cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan, finely grated

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium high heat and sauté the onions and leeks with the salt until just starting to pick up some color. Set them aside to cool.

2. Peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks, boil until just cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.

3. Trim the dry end of the broccoli stem and put it uncut into the pot of boiling potatoes, stem down.

4. After about six minutes, remove the broccoli from the pot, cut off the florets and return the thick stem to the pot to finish cooking.

Tip: Put the florets in a pot of cold water to stop them from cooking further.

Note: At six minutes the top florets of the broccoli should be just cooked through, any longer and they would overcook. They can even be a bit under cooked, because they will be baked again.

5. Remove the broccoli stem and set it aside to cool with the florets.

6. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot, and set them aside to cool.

7. Chop the broccoli finely.

Tip: Slice through the dark green tops about every ¼ inch until you have only the floret stem remaining. Chop the remaining stems into a ¼ inch dice.

Note: Do not mash the delicate tips. You want vegetables bits, not a vegetables paste.

8. Put the eggs in a medium bowl and lightly whisk them.

9. Add the crème fraiche, cream, and garlic and whisk them together with the eggs.

10. Mix in the onions and leek mixture and the chopped broccoli.

11. Stir in the Emmental and half a cup of the Parmesan.

Tip: By mixing everything, before adding it to the potatoes, you get a thorough blending of the ingredients and avoid over-working the potatoes and turning them to “glue.”

12. Use a metal whisk to mash the potatoes.

Tip: Push down on each chunk of potato with the point of the whisk to break them up. You want about half of the potatoes completely mashed, but you also want plenty of ⅜-½ inch chunks of potato remaining.

Note: Do not use a standard potato masher, this would break the potatoes down too much. You want enough mashed potato to hold everything together, but you still want the texture of chunky potatoes. Smashed, not mashed, potatoes.

13. Preheat the oven to 425º F (220º C).

14. Pam a standard muffin pan, and put ⅓ of a cup of the mixture into each cup.

Tip: Use a spoon to push the mix into the cup so that there are no air pockets. The mix should come up to about an eighth of an inch from the lip of the cups. I had enough mix to fill 16 muffin cups full.

Note: If you do not have a muffin pan, you can put scoops of the mixture directly on a baking sheet. If the mix is too thin to hold its shape, stir in a quarter cup of bread crumbs to firm it up.

15. Sprinkle one teaspoon of Parmesan on top of each cup.

Tip: Use your fingers to spread the cheese over the top and tamp it down into the mixture.

16. Bake for 20 minutes.

17. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let the medallions cool slightly.

18. Run a shape knife around the edges of each cup to loosen the medallions.

19. Turn the pan over on a clean surface and give it a strong rap to free the medallions from the pan.

Tip: This recipe makes a lot of Grönsakskaka, fortunately they freeze very well. If you are planning to freeze some for later consumption, now would be the time to put them on an uncovered tray in the freezer. After they have completely frozen, about one hour, place them in a plastic bag for storage.

Note: To reheat the frozen Grönsakskaka, microwave them for one minute and then put them, cheese side down, on a baking sheet in a 425º F (220º C) oven for ten minutes.

20. Place the  medallions, cheese side down, on a Pam-ed baking sheet.

21. Continue baking the medallions for another ten minutes, until the tops are brown and crispy.

22. Serve warm as a side dish.

Tip: They also make a good addition to a breakfast plate.

Note: Two Grönsakskaka make one serving of potato and one serving of vegetables.

Variation: Grönsakskaka would also make a great hors d’oeuvre. use a mini-muffin pan and bake them for 10 minutes in the pan and an additional 8 minutes upside down on a baking sheet.

Recipe from here.