It’s been a gray and cool spring around these parts, but there’s no reason that a little chill in the air needs to rain on your culinary parade. After all, the days are surely numbered until it’s so hot that you’d rather, I don’t know, be chained down and forced to watch that terrible new Cameron Crowe movie instead of turning on your oven. So embrace the cool; make a casserole.

Here’s one I came up with this weekend. Full disclosure: I wanted to make something that necessitated that I slice at least one ingredient because my friend Mignon gave me a sweeeet new mandolin for my birthday. This handy tool makes me feel at least fifty-three percent fancier as I am cooking, and my potato slices really were shockingly even. But even if you don’t have a mandolin (or a Mignon) in your life, fear not: you can totally rock it old-school and slice them by hand.

Rainy Day Cauliflower and Potatoes

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 pint of half and half
• Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
• ½ head of cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2 large potatoes, sliced thin
• 1 ½ cups white cheddar cheese, grated
• About ½ cup of breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use half the butter to grease a 2 qt. casserole dish, and melt the other half in a medium-sized saucepan. Slice the garlic and cook it for a few minutes in the saucepan, then add the half and half and flavor it with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Add the cauliflower and cook for about ten minutes or until the cauliflower is mostly tender.

Layer the potatoes in the buttered casserole dish and top with half the cheese. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cauliflower from the pan and spread it evenly in the casserole. Top with the remaining cheese, then pour the sauce over the top. Finish with the breadcrumbs and bake for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft. Goes great with a green salad.