Creamy Baked Courgette & Rice Gratin

Duck fat, crème fraîche and golden Emmental — the ultimate French comfort side

A gorgeous one-pan rice bake with soft caramelised onions, tender courgettes and a bubbling cheese crust. Wonderful with any meat and a green leafy salad — especially roast duck, pork or chicken.

Creamy inside, crispy on top — pure French comfort.

Serves
4

Prep
20 min

Cook
40 min

Oven
190 °C

Ingredients – Classic Duck-Fat Gratin

2 tablespoons duck fat
2 onions, finely sliced
4 large courgettes (zucchini), sliced into 5 mm rounds
180 g basmati rice
500 ml hot chicken stock (plus a little extra if needed)
4 heaped tablespoons crème fraîche
150 g Emmental cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt

Method – Classic

1. Preheat the oven to 190 °C.

2. Melt the duck fat in a large, deep, oven-proof frying pan or saucepan over low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook gently until soft and caramelised (about 15 minutes).

3. While the onions cook, wash the rice and slice the courgettes.

4. Add the sliced courgettes and rice to the pan. Stir well to coat everything in the duck fat and onions.

5. Pour in the hot chicken stock, increase heat and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be quite loose — add a splash more stock if needed.

6. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the crème fraîche and 100 g of the grated Emmental. Taste and season generously with sea salt and black pepper.

7. Lightly oil a gratin or casserole dish (or keep in the pan if oven-proof). Tip in the mixture, spread evenly and sprinkle over the remaining 50 g cheese.

8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbling and the rice is perfectly cooked.

Pro tip: Duck fat is magic here, but butter or olive oil works beautifully too.