I think I am going to make this again for Thanksgiving on Thursday so I should have more pictures soon, but seriously this got gobbled up so fast and everyone loved it I never had a chance to get pictures!
Chanel had mentioned a few weeks before Friendsgiving this year that she wanted to do a sweet potato dish, but was tired of it always being so sweet and didn't want to do anything with marshmallows or brown sugar everywhere - I got what she was saying. We both love sweet potatoes and they are sweet as they are and I can't turn down savory.
So I went on the hunt and starting turning options over in my head and we ended up with this slightly adapted recipe from the kitchn. I loved the addition of a mild and nutty cheese that wasn't Parmesan, the Jarlsberg was both those things and tangy - perfect! A great tip when using a softer cheese like Jarlsberg, but don't want it to melt into gooeyness but rather be grated like a hard cheese, you can just freeze it first! Toss it in the freezer at least a few hours before using and then grate it and it should come apart into tiny crumbs pretty well.
Savory Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves 8 - 12
Ingredients:
- 1 stick butter
- 1 large yellow onion (or two small), halved and sliced
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin discs (as thin as you can, less than 1/4 of an inch)
- 1 tbs. ground sage
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. whole grain mustard
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup grated Jarlsberg, Gruyere or White Cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Preheat your oven to 350° and butter an oval gratin dish (or 9 x 13 rectangle). Melt 2 tbs. butter in a skilled over medium heat and add the onions. Season them with salt and pepper and caramelize them, stirring frequent for 20-30 minutes, until browned and sweetly fragrant, not burned.
While your onions cook, layer half the sweet potato slices in your gratin dish. You may need to make more than one layer to use half the sweet potato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
After the onions have caramelized, add the sage, thyme, mustard, paprika, chipotle powder, garlic and cream. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir until the cream is thickened, just a few minutes. Remove from heat.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the cream sauce and spread the onions evenly over the sweet potato layer. Once all the onions are in your dish, layer the remaining half of sweet potatoes on top. Season with salt and pepper and pour the cream sauce evenly over the whole gratin. The cream will not fill the dish, just spread it around as much as you can - don't worry.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, assemble the topping. Melt 2 tbs. of butter, set aside. In another bowl, combine the Panko, grated cheeses and salt and pepper. Pour the butter over the bread crumbs and cheese and toss to combine.
Remove the gratin from the oven and sprinkle the topping evenly over the top. Return the gratin to the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes, until topping is golden brown and crispy.