Eggplant and Potato Gratin

By Nik Sharma

Published Sept. 29, 2020

Eggplant and Potato Gratin
Nik Sharma for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
1¼ hours
Rating
4(242)
Comments
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In this side dish inspired by Indian flavors, slices of eggplant and potato sit over a bed of crushed tomatoes seasoned with garlic, cumin and nigella seeds. It’s a wonderful accompaniment to seafood, particularly roasted fish. To cut the cooking time, slice the vegetables even thinner, using a mandolin or food processor. Nigella seeds are sometimes erroneously labeled as black cumin, but they look and taste quite different. They have a triangular shape and a distinct black coat, and the flavor will remind some of alliums. There is no direct substitute, but, for the same texture — if not the same taste — you could use sesame seeds.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2Japanese eggplants (12 ounces total)
  • 1russet potato (about 14 ounces)
  • 2tablespoons melted ghee or oil, plus more for greasing the baking dish
  • 1teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1teaspoon nigella seeds
  • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes, such as Aleppo
  • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Kosher salt
  • 1(14-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 4garlic cloves, peeled and grated
  • 2tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 2tablespoons grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

243 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 1143 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice the eggplants ¼-inch thick, discarding the tops. Peel the potatoes or leave the skins on, and slice the potatoes ¼-inch thick. Place the eggplant and potatoes in a large bowl and drizzle with the ghee. Toss with cumin, nigella, red-pepper flakes, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt.

  2. Step 2

    Lightly grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish or similarly sized gratin dish with ghee, and place the gratin dish on a baking sheet.

  3. Step 3

    Add the tomatoes and garlic to the baking dish, season with salt and toss to combine. Arrange the eggplant and potato slices on top, alternating between the two vegetables.

  4. Step 4

    In a small bowl, mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Sprinkle the mixture over the sliced vegetables.

  5. Step 5

    Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the top turns golden brown. Let the dish cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5
242 user ratings
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Comments

J

I took this in an Italian direction by omitting the nigella and cinnamon ghee. Instead I used olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder along with the cumin and pepper flakes. I used chopped tomatoes with Italian seasoning and topped it off with a generous portion of Panko bread crumbs and grated Parmesan. The result was delicious.

mskdc

Made this exactly as written. Good flavors but the potatoes were not cooked well. Next time would parboil them.

GretcheKnits

Nigella seeds are also called charnuska, and Penzey’s carries them. I bought them for another recipe a while ago, and I’m delighted to have another chance to use them!

Allison Slaby

As others have noted, the potatoes do not cook in the cooking time the recipe instructed. Even some of the eggplant was a little undercooked. I liked the combination of spices -- I substituted curry powder and used the cumin and cinnamon as instructed. If I were to make it again, I would bake the dish under foil for 20 minutes longer, then uncover. Or use a mandolin for the vegetables. My husband really liked it.

Alinda

Delicious! I’m glad to have found a great eggplant recipe that doesn’t require a lot of cheese. This is a great recipe and the herbs/spices can be changed pretty easily to lean Indian, Italian, or Mediterranean (add some kalamata olives!). It could stand as a main dish w/ some sausage added. Based on some of the notes, I baked it about 15 min longer covered, and an extra 10 min uncovered. Both vegetables came out w/ nice texture.

Denis

Nigella AKA kolongi are seeds of the chive plant and they impart a nice onion-like flavor. They are sometimes called black mustard seeds but they are not. This is delicious and made better by using asian sweet potato.

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