Hearty pumpkin and potato gratin

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 500 g pumpkin(s), e.g. butternut, pitted and peeled
• 500 g potatoes
• 1 garlic clove(s)
• 250 ml cream
• 1 tbsp salt
• Black pepper, coarse
• some nutmeg
• 1 handful of cheese, grated, spicy, e.g. mountain cheese
• 4 slices of bacon
• some butter for the mold

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 55 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 15 minutes

Peel and wash the potatoes, halve them, and cut them into approximately 3-4 mm thick slices. Peel and halve the pumpkin, remove the seeds with a spoon, and slice them like the potatoes. Roughly mix the potato and pumpkin slices together. Halve the garlic clove and rub the cut side of the garlic into the casserole dish. This imparts a subtle garlic aroma that doesn’t overpower the flavor of the gratin. Butter the casserole dish, add the potato and pumpkin slices, and distribute them evenly. Season the cream with 1 tablespoon of salt—not too much, as the vegetables absorb a lot of the seasoning—and plenty of coarsely ground pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg, and drizzle over the gratin. Cover the casserole dish with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (top and bottom heat), middle rack, for about 40 minutes. Remove the baking paper, sprinkle the cheese over the gratin, and arrange the bacon slices on top. Bake in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the bacon is crispy. If necessary, add the grill.