in our quest for Thanksgiving recipes this year HHjr and I are trying out some recipes in the current Southern Living Magazine, Thanksgiving Made Southern. I recently posted Green Beans Clementine which were adapted from “Warm & Rustic Texas Thanksgiving,” Green Beans with Citrus and Pecans.
Next we decided to try [he cooks, I photo] the Sweet Potato Gratin from the “Fresh and Modern Alabama Thanksgiving” section. We didn’t change a thing and it was a big hit in my book.
The sweet potatoes give the standard scalloped potato dish a real flavor boost and cut the richness of the cream and cheese in a very palatable way.
Scalloped or Au gratin potatoes have a reputation of being hard to make, but if you stay true to two things they will be perfect every time. Tip 1: Slice your potatoes evenly and very thin. This insures that they cook evenly and that they cook through. I use an inexpensive Mandolin type slicer from the grocery store, but you can use your food processor or a knife, just go for thin, even slices.
You don’t have to peel! There is so much texture and vitamin content in the peel, just scrub your potatoes thoroughly before slicing. Once sliced toss them in a bowl with cream and salt.
Transfer potatoes into a lightly greased deep casserole dish. You can layer by color if you want to drive yourself crazy but it’s really not necessary, just try to have them mixed up well.
Top with some cheese, then cream
and more cheese…Hey it’s Thanksgiving remember!
Now cover tightly with foil and refrigerate until you are ready to bake. If you want to do this the day ahead, partially bake potatoes for 40 minutes, covered. Cool and refrigerate overnight. Before serving, bring to room temperature, then uncover and bake for 30-45 minutes until hot, golden and bubbly.
Tip #2: allow plenty of time for baking! If potatoes are properly sliced you shouldn’t have any problems, but these need time! Bake ahead and reheat if necessary. We had these leftover 2 nights later, reheated covered at 350 for 40 minutes in the oven and they were just as good as the first time!
Let the gratin set for 5-10 minutes then cut into squares like a lasagna. You can see the different colors of potatoes
Doesn’t that look good?
Here’s the recipe:
SWEET POTATO GRATIN
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 1 1/2 T salt
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream divided
- 6 oz Gruyere cheese grated
Instructions
- Wash potatoes well, and do not peel. Slice into even thin, 1/8″ slices with a mandoline or sharp knife.
- Place slices into a large mixing bowl and pour in 3/4 cup cream and the salt. Gently toss potato slices to coat with cream.
- Transfer slices into a lightly greased 2 quart deep baking dish or gratin pan, spreading potato slices into flat even layers. Sprinkle with 1 cup, 4 oz. of cheese. Pour the rest [3/4 cup] of cream over potatoes and top with the rest of the cheese.
- Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 20 to 25 more minutes until potatoes are tender and golden. Test doneness by inserting a sharp knife, it should slice easily through the potatoes. Let set for 5-10 minutes and cut into squares to serve. Makes 8 servings.
Notes
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