Gratins have become one of my favorite dishes to make. You can make them in numerous variations with different vegetables. They are so comforting during these cold, long days and so easy to make. My hubby especially loves potato gratin. When we first got married I used to buy those twenty minute packages of potato gratin. The boxes that contain the transparent thin pieces of dehydrated potatoes. Eeek, I know! We loved them though, but that was way before we realized just how GOOD making them from scratch can be. By mixing in fresh, whole cream, a variation of pecorino romano cheese or parmesan, and real butter… there is just no comparison. It does take an hour or so to bake so it you work outside of the home it is something that you can prepare for your family on a weekend.
Organic potatoes that I buy in bulk through Azure Standard and a sweet potato from last September’s farmers market. Can you believe I had it that long?! I enjoy storing root vegetables and that sweet potato was delicious.
La crème de la crème. Fresh whole cream!
Potato and Sweet Potato Gratin
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb sliced sweet potatoes
- 1/2 lb sliced potatoes
- 2 cups whole cream (feel free to substitute 1 cup of cream with milk)
- 2 tbls butter
- 1 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a casserole dish layer half of the sliced sweet potatoes and potatoes.
- Sprinkle with one tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
- Pour 1 cup cream over the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
- Layer the remaining potatoes, butter, cream, seasoning, and cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil, press the potatoes under the liquid and bake for an additional 35 – 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender and the cheese has browned on top.
Buen Provecho!
Diana, this looks amazing. The ultimate comfort food, for sure. Ahh, I wish I was having this for dinner today! Altough tomorrow's dinner is sorted with this gratin. Delicious!
It always amazes me how long root vegetables and apples keep. This is a fabulous twist on potato au gratin, one of my favorite dishes too!
Yum! I also used to buy the boxed potatoes when we first got married!
So…how does you sweet potato stay that fresh, that long???
Had a version of this for Sunday lunch, always a favourite
I second that question–how do you keep a potato that long without it sprouting, etc?
That looks amazing. I have a little twing about all that cream, but in small servings or everyonce and a while sweet potatoes au gratin looks delicious.
Thanks everyone! You know, I kept my sweet potatoes in the coldest part of my basement in a fabric bag. They did have some sprouts but not bad at all. I just took them off and sliced away! I will be researching more about root cellaring in the future.
Foy – yeah, I know.. A lot of cream, lol!! Really, all you need to do is sub half the cream with milk. However, this is a special treat 😉 It was AWESOME!! haha!!
Gorgeous! I have just the right cheese and cream to go with it too! One of the things I love about living here is that organic food is so much cheaper. By the way, I have a essay I did on organic food in Italian schools I would like you to read because it follows your whole philosophy! Let me know if you're interested and or have the time to read it lol
Estupenda receta. Un saludo
Wow, those potatoes look so delicious! I haven't made au gratin in so long, but I love doing so many different things with potatoes. Especially potatoes and cream, butter, and cheese! I am going to have to make these soon! One thing we don't get much of is cream…our farm that sells our raw milk doesn't provide cream, and I never want to skim it off the top of our milk because it won't be as nutritious for us to drink. But, I am wondering if you could use something else like buttermilk or sour cream instead? It's not quite the same, but maybe?
I love this-looks so rustic and delicious. Oh, and I really admire the organic, local and real foods dedication you have. My kitchen is about 75% organic right now and counting…
I love gratin but with sweet potatoes and fresh cream added, that is extra special. I love the rustic look of the it. I am still looking for local cream. The other local cream we have here is made with additional ingredients so when you place it in the fridge, it becomes solid.
What a great combination of the two potatoes, and I love the cream . . . I have a huge bag of farm potatoes that are still going strong and hope they last me a few more weeks at least.
I would love to learn from your root cellar research!
A fabulous gratin with two potatoes and fresh cream!
I've never been a big fan of potatoes EXCEPT scalloped potatoes made with cream. I only make them a few times a year, because I think of them as a special treat. Some fresh thyme, sometimes some while mushrooms . . . Good thing I already finished lunch or I'd be shopping for potatoes this minute! Nice post, Diana.
Yum… What a fun dish! I'm impressed that your sweet potato lasted so long, too. Amazing!
Diana, this looks fabulous!
That really does look absolutely delectable! I used to get the box stuff when I was growing up, but has since stopped since it has all the chemicals in it. This is something that I will definitely bring back to the kitchen table!
the gratin looks awesome. i love the combination of various potatoes. plus the whole cream and cheese…oh, absolutely my kind of dish.
I LOVE sweet potatoes. I've actually got a bag of Japanese sweet potatoes sitting on the counter…I think I may have to use a couple of them to make a gratin now! Oh, and that shot of the fresh cream has me drooling. I wish I had a source for fresh cream!
Diana,
I love the combo! Great dish for a dinner party. Looks beautiful!
Looks yummy – I like the idea of mixing sweet and normal potatoes. I have a similar recipe that uses only sweet potatoes but includes chopped jalapenos – a nice hot & sweet combo. I only make it once a year though (at Thanksgiving) because of all the cream!