Zucchini Gratin

Time for a zucchini recipe!! It's that time of year, my friends. I came up with this recipe last year after a dear friend told me about how her mom makes a zucchini casserole with cheese, bacon, and....wait, you had me at bacon. So, I took to the kitchen to see if I could whip up something similar with those dominatrix zucchini's running rampant in my garden. Plus, I love bacon and cheese. The end result has turned into a side dish I've made countless times. It goes great with grilled meats, it also works as a main dish with a green salad on the side (like tonights din').

Recipe (keep in mind that these are rough measurements so feel free to add a little more as you see fit):

2 large zucchini (or 3 medium)

3 cups shredded colby jack cheese (some for the sauce and some for sprinkling)

2 cups milk (I used 2% tonight)

10-12 rashers of cooked bacon, chopped

2-3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives

1 1/2-2 tbs butter

1 1/2 tbs flour

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take zucchini and slice it into 1/4 in thick discs. Line the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a layer of zucchini disks. Set aside. Now you need to make the cream sauce. In a medium size pot melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour and allow to bubble for a few seconds (this helps get the "floury taste out). Slowly whisk in your 2 cups milk. Turn your heat up to medium and keep an eye on it, stirring often for a few minutes allowing it to get bubbly. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of your grated cheese. The sauce should be quite thick at this stage (you want that). Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper. Be generous with the pepper. Now, take your 9x13 pan and pour half your cheesey cream sauce over the zucchini. Sprinkle a good amount of chive, bacon, and cheese over the top. Take remaining zucchini disks and follow the same procedure for remaining ingredients. In the end, you should have about 2-3 layers of zucchini, sauce, cheese, chive, and bacon. Finish the gratin off with a good sprinkling of bacon, chive, and cheese. Cover with tinfoil and back at 350 for 45- 50 minutes. The last few minutes of baking remove foil to let cheese set up. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

image by Briana