Eat the weeds!

The long, cool spring we've had means the dandelions are lush and vigorous, with only a hint of bitterness.  So it's time for a dandelion and goat cheese gratin, perfect for Easter dinner.

I've adapted the recipe to use a bechamel sauce instead of heavy cream, which is both lower-fat and friendlier to those who should avoid cow's milk (bechamel can be made with milk substitutes).  I tolerate a bit of goat and sheep cheese, so combining those with a rice-milk bechamel works pretty well.  I also use gluten-free bread crumbs, but those are trivial.

If "bechamel" sounds fancy and intimidating, here's the surprisingly simple recipe for making one to use in the gratin:

1 3/4 cups whole milk (or rice, soy, or almond milk)
1 tbsp flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk the flour into the milk, add the garlic, and bring it all to a boil, continuing to whisk it regularly to avoid lumps. As soon as it begins to thicken, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the salt and pepper.

The result is only a little less decadent than what one would get from heavy cream.

I'm a big fan of eating weeds when possible.  For one, it's the laziest gardening imaginable: no need to fertilize, sow, cultivate, or fend off pests.  For another, I don't need to worry about harvesting too much from any one plant, I can just take whatever looks good.  Plus, some weeds -- like dandelion -- are extremely nutritious, and quite palatable if you catch them at the right time of year.

Besides, they're squatting in my yard, and they might as well pay some rent.  Right?

Harvesting a pound of dandelion leaves for this recipe took me about an hour in my yard.  I tossed the resulting pile into the sink and filled it partway with cold water to rinse, hydrate, and cool the greens.  It allowed me to pull out the debris that inevitably creeps in: bits of leaf, grass blades, spent catkins from the mulberry trees.

I'm about to embark on blanching them, then making the white sauce and assembling the casserole.  I expect prep to take about 40 minutes, not bad for a holiday dish.  And it'll set off the lamb to perfection.