I have been trying to move the class-factor of my cooking up a notch recently. This week I made chicken thighs in white wine & herbs, a recipe from a new cookbook I got for Christmas. And tonight I made sweet potato and sage gratin, my new favorite way to eat sweet potatoes, inspired by a recipe from the kitchn. Basically baking sweet potatoes in sage-flavored cream, then covering them in bread crumbs and cheese. The pecorino romano adds a little more punch than your standard parmesan , but that will work too. More flavorful than any other way I’ve had the tubers.

Ingredients

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 med onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/8-1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
  • 1/8 tsp chipotle pepper powder
  • 1/2 cup cream
  • 1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
  • Salt & pepper

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13 baking dish. Peel and slice the potatoes. Toss them in the baking dish w/ a little salt and pepper.
  2. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat and slowly caramelize the onions. When the onions are dark, add the garlic and cook just until golden. Reserve a tablespoon of the chopped sage and add the rest to the onions, along with the chipotle powder and cream. Cook until the cream is slightly reduced then remove from the heat.
  3. Arrange the potatoes in a single (or close to single) layer in the baking dish. Lifting the onions out of the cream with a slotted spoon, and layer on top. Pour the cream over the top and bake for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are barely tender.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in the skillet and toast the rest of the sage and the breadcrumbs until golden and fragrant, a few minutes. Remove from heat and toss with the Pecorino Romano. Sprinkle over top of the gratin and return to the oven for about 15 minutes or until brown and crispy.

Can’t be beat, I promise.

(picture from myrecipes)