Gratin

I have found that most people think of a gratin as a dish cooked with cheese on top. Indeed, it can be topped with cheese, breadcrumbs, or both. But what the word means is “crust,” referring to the thin finish that forms on the top of the dish (even though in the nineteenth century, the “gratin” was at the bottom of the dish) once it has been finished off in the oven or under a broiler. A gratin of vegetables or meat can be cooked from the raw state or made with leftovers in a shallow dish (a “gratin dish”), and it forms its own crust on top without the addition of breadcrumbs or cheese.