Sweet Potato Gratin

So "gratin" just means dish cooked with a browned crust, often with cheese. Therefore gratins are good. Like really good. The last recipe I posted, the Collard Greens Gratin, is my new favorite gratin... this is my long-time fave gratin. These sweet potatoes (both colors are sweet potatoes, but sometimes they are called yams by color) are cooked in cream with a browned topping made from Parmesan cheese and spiced with simple ground peppers. The recipe is VERY simple, but super delicious, very rich and very amazing. My dear friend Betsy gave me this recipe a few years ago, and I make it for special occasions and, of course - THANKSGIVING!

Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves 8-10
Preheat oven to 400

2 tablespoons butter - divided
4 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rings
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

With 1 tablespoon of butter, butter a 9x13 inch glass dish, or other shallow baking dish.

Arrange potato slices in a single layer and top with 1/4 cup of cheese. Repeat with a second layer or until all of the potatoes are used. Hold putting on the last 1/4 cup of cheese.

I like to make alternating rows, or concentric circles, alternating colors so this dish is really pretty when it bakes up. 

In a measuring cup, combine cream, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and sprinkle on the last quarter cup of Parmesan cheese. Dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.

Cover the dish with foil - dull side out - and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes until potatoes are tender. Cool a bit and ENJOY!!

A few things about this recipe...
You can use all one color potatoes if you have a preference.
This dish will take a few different temperature variations... I've cooked this with a turkey in the oven cooking at 350. Just increase the time cooked with the tin foil on.
Don't use milk or half and half. Use heavy cream. It's worth it. 

Next up on the Thanksgiving round up - Sage Rubbed Turkey Breast with Apple Cider Pan Gravy. 

Things made this time last year...

Cranberry Apple Upside Down Cake

Oh my goodness - that's a good cake!!

Healthy Pureed Sweet Potatoes

Sometimes all it takes to bring out the best flavor in a fruit or vegetable is just to cook it.  Seriously!  What does slow roasting a tomato do?  What does caramelizing an onion do?    These two methods of cooking bring about flavors that are completely different from tomatoes and onions in their raw state.  You may not even need salt and pepper.  Cooking often does the job on it’s own. 

Well, the same goes for sweet potatoes.  Not only are they sweet on their own (which makes them super yummy – especially when cooking them for a long time) but they are also really good for you.  They contain fiber, multiple vitamins including A, C, and E, and also antioxidants.  I normally roast my sweet potatoes at a high heat for about 45 minutes.  By this time, they get bright orange, and you know they’re done because the sweet sugars start to ooze out of the skin and the skin begins to shrivel. 

We often see sweet potatoes fried in oil or mixed with tons of butter and sugar to make pies and other great desserts.  However, sweet potatoes are quite sweet on their own and very satisfying.  I like to roast my sweet potatoes and then puree or mash them.  All I add is a tiny bit of salt to bring out the sweetness even more and they make for a great healthy side dish.

Healthy Pureed Sweet Potatoes

4 sweet potatoes

1 tsp kosher salt

Yes, that’s IT!

Preheat oven to 425F.  While oven is preheating, rinse the outside of the potatoes to remove all dirt and thoroughly dry.  Poke a few holes through the flesh with a fork to allow the steam to escape during the cooking process.

Once oven is preheated, place potatoes directly on the rack in the middle of the oven. Place a sheet of foil or a baking sheet on the rack just below the potatoes.  This will catch all of the gooey sugars that escape as the potatoes cook.  Cook for about 40-45 mins or until soft and the skin begins to shrivel.

Remove from oven.  Allow potatoes to cool for about 5 mins and then remove the skin.  Place cooked potatoes and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until fully pureed.   You may need to break up the potatoes a bit if the food processor is working too hard.

Alternative: Place cooked potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Use the whisk attachment to puree potatoes.

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad... with Sweet Potato Chips

There are about a million different ways to make chicken salad.  At the end of the day, it really comes down to your own tastes and how you are going to serve it.  Some people bake their chicken and then dice it.  Others (like me) take the easy way out and use rotisserie chicken.  It adds great flavor and the chicken is always juicy.  Some prefer it without fruit and nuts and others like both.  Some serve it on bread and others serve it on crackers.  I’m sure you get the point by now :)

I make my chicken salad with shallots, cranberry, and walnuts.  I choose shallots because they give the salad a bit of a garlic flavor and a mild onion flavor.  The dried cranberries allow the chicken salad to last longer in the fridge as opposed to grapes.  However, I have used grapes before and I could go either way.  The walnuts add a textural element along with the celery that comes in most chicken salad recipes.  The last thing that puts my version over the top is the lemon juice.  Lemon juice adds a little bit of a zing and brightens up the overall dish.  I can’t wait for you to try this!

Cranberry Walnut Chicken Salad

1c mayo

1 tsp mustard

juice from half of a lemon

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 small shallot, minced

1/8 c chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 rotisserie chicken, breast and leg meat removed and chopped (~2.5c)

¼ c cranberries

¼ c chopped walnuts

1 celery rib, chopped into small pieces

Sliced whole grain bread (optional)

Leaf lettuce (optional)

Whisk together mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, shallot, parsley, and thyme in a large bowl.  Add chicken, cranberries, walnuts, and celery to dressing.  Stir well to combine.

Optional: To make sandwiches, lightly toast 2 slices of whole grain bread.  Place chicken salad in between slices and top with lettuce. 

…with Sweet Potato Chips

I think the American “way” is to have chips with salad.  I decided to fry up my own sweet potato chips for this weekend lunch I had.  To make these, use a mandolin to get very thin slices of sweet potato.  Try the thinnest setting or one level thicker. 

Heat vegetable oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Once oil is hot, add the sweet potato slices to the frying oil.  No need to coat with anything!  Once the chips are brown and crispy, remove and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with kosher salt immediately after removing from the oil.