Vegetarian Thanksgiving: Carrot, Potato, and Celery Root Gratin

3 medium redskin potatoes
1 medium celery root
3 carrots
1 large leek
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup grated good cheddar cheese
1/2 cup ricotta
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the potatoes, celery root, carrots, and leek thin as you can. A mandoline helps here.

Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan. Heat the milk slowly, and melt the butter. Stir in the cheeses, herbs, and garlic.

Layer the vegetables in low, wide a baking dish. After each layer, dust the vegetables with flour, salt and pepper. After the top layer, pour the milk-cheese mixture evenly over all. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 25-30 minutes.

Ok, so the flavor and texture of this finished dish were really delicious. But like the last time I made a gratin, there was a lot of liquid in the bottom of the dish. I drained it and really enjoyed the gratin, but it shouldn't work that way.

Some theories: As I was slicing the vegetables, I tossed them into water to prevent browning. I drained them, but didn't pat them dry, which may have inadvertently added quite a bit liquid to the dish. Also, I used 2% milk, though most of the gratin recipes I saw online used cream. I suggest whole milk here, but maybe you want to just go for it and try cream. I also only used one tablespoon of flour. I suggest two here; that might help.

If you try this dish, let me know how it goes!