Sweet Potato Gratin with Sage-Butter and Thyme
This recipe was inspired by one of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes ever, by Regina Schrambling. We took that dish and turned it on its side — jamming sliced sweet potatoes into the pans in upright rows, for maximum textural wonderfulness. Then we riffed on Regina’s creme-and-thyme idea, adding sage-butter to the mix for special dusky depth.
For some reason, the photos do not convey how meltingly fabulous the dish is – soft as butter, velvety, rich and herbal. Absolutely luxurious. Four pounds of sweet potatoes perfectly fit my 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish, but you might want to buy an extra sweet potato for insurance — you definitely want these tightly packed.
Use a mandoline, if you have one, to make quick work of slicing them. (Watch those fingers!)
Serves 8 - 10.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsweetened butter, plus additional for buttering the dish
4 pounds sweet potatoes, preferably garnet, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
12 sage leaves
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 grinds of black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of sweet potatoes in parallel rows. Don’t worry if they’re different sizes; that makes for appealing jazzy variation. Save some of the smaller slices, as the last row might be narrower than the others. Set aside.
2. Melt the remaining butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it’s just starting to foam. Add the sage leaves and cook them until they’re crisp, a minute or two. Use a fork or slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving the butter and let the leaves cool. Pour the butter over the sweet potatoes, distributing it evenly.
3. Pour the cream into a measuring cup or small pitcher, add the salt, pepper and thyme leaves, and stir to combine. Pour it evenly over the sweet potatoes.
4. Crumble the fried sage and sprinkle it over the sweet potatoes.
5. Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are very soft and a little toasty on top.
Sweet Potato Gratin with Sage-Butter and Thyme
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened butter, plus additional for buttering the dish
- 4 pounds sweet potatoes, preferably garnet, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 12 sage leaves
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 grinds of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of sweet potatoes in parallel rows. Don’t worry if they’re different sizes; that makes for appealing jazzy variation. Save some of the smaller slices, as the last row might be narrower than the others. Set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it’s just starting to foam. Add the sage leaves and cook them until they’re crisp, a minute or two. Use a fork or slotted spoon to transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate, reserving the butter and let the leaves cool. Pour the butter over the sweet potatoes, distributing it evenly.
- Pour the cream into a measuring cup or small pitcher, add the salt, pepper and thyme leaves, and stir to combine. Pour it evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Crumble the fried sage and sprinkle it over the sweet potatoes.
- Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are very soft and a little toasty on top.