Kumara and butternut gratin

This week's dish makes use of two vegetables that are not only similarly coloured, but also share a natural dash of sweetness.
The cream in which they are cooked is laced with cheese and paprika, and those flavours insinuate themselves into the vegetables as they bake. The result is rich, but delicious, and makes a fine partner for lamb, beef, pork, chicken or firm-fleshed fish. It could even be used, in modest portions, as an entre for a vegetarian dinner, or complemented by a green salad to do duty as a simple one-course supper.
Other types of kumara could be used, but the orange variety seems to hold its shape a little better and looks particularly good with the butternut.
If you have leftovers they can be roughly mashed, combined with a beaten egg and a handful of breadcrumbs and shallow-fried as fritters. Yum!
1 butternut, halved lengthwise
2 medium-large golden kumara, peeled
1 Tbsp butter
leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
1 sp dried oregano
2cm cube Parmesan cheese, ideally Parmigiano-Reggiano
450ml cream
1 tsp sweet paprika
salt and cracked black pepper
Set oven to 180C. Cut the "bulb" from the end of the butternut and reserve for another use. If you have bought a whole one, slice the remaining section in half lengthwise, peel and cut crosswise into 5mm slices.
Peel the kumara and slice to the same thickness. Rub butter over the inside of an ovenproof casserole or pan, then cover the bottom with slices of butternut. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and arrange a layer of kumara on top.
Follow the same procedure with the remaining slices, using kumara for the top layer.
Grate most of the Parmesan cheese into the cream, add half the paprika, stir and pour over the vegetables. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, plus remaining paprika.
Grate remaining Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake a further 10 minutes, or until nicely golden, then remove from the oven and serve.
Serves 4 as a side dish
Wine match
Served alone, this gratin works well with an off-dry pinot gris, and the same wine would be good with most simple chicken, pork or fish dishes. Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009 has the variety's classic aroma of ripe pears, with suggestions of baked apples and dried figs also tempting the senses. It has spent a bit of time maturing in oak barrels, but because they weren't new they have added no more than a hint of smoky spice. The flavours are rich and sweet-edged, and the typically oily texture is nicely counterbalanced by keen, but integrated, acids. The usual price is around $22, but you might find it for less on special.