Sweet Potato and Greens Gratin
By: Co+op
Recipe Information
Total Time: 30 minutes active, 1 hour 15 minutes total
Servings: 8
This savory, vitamin-rich casserole makes a hearty accompaniment to roasted poultry or ham, or atop baked polenta.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
- 1/2 pound kale or Swiss chard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or smoked Cheddar cheese
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and butter or oil a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Wash, shred and blanch the kale or chard for 3 minutes in boiling water; squeeze out any excess liquid. Line the bottom of the casserole dish with half of the sweet potato arranged in a single layer, with slices overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with half the smoked paprika, half the chili powder and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Spread half of the kale or chard evenly over the sweet potatoes. Drizzle with half the melted butter. Repeat with another layer of sweet potatoes, spices, kale or chard, and butter. Pour the heavy cream evenly over the top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the gratin, and bake another 10-15 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is just beginning to brown. Serve warm.
Serving Suggestion
A vitamin-rich alternative to scalloped potatoes, this casserole is a hearty accompaniment to roasted poultry or ham, or served atop baked polenta. If you’re serving roast beef or turkey, try substituting smoky shredded Cheddar for the Parmesan.
Calories: 276, Fat: 14 g, Cholesterol: 43 mg, Sodium: 73 mg, Carbohydrate: 35 g, Dietary Fiber: 5 g, Protein: 4 g
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a sweet, starchy tuber of the plant Ipomoea batatas, which is native to the tropical region of the Americas. They are very nutritious and high in vitamins A and C, antioxidants, potassium and fiber. Today, there are hundreds of varieties of cultivated sweet potatoes that range in color from white to orange to purple.
The words “sweet potato” and “yam” are often thrown around interchangeably, but they are two different plants. Sweet potatoes, with their smooth and thin skin, are in the morning glory family, while rough and scaly yams are related to lilies. Yams are rarely available “fresh” in the United States.
Sweet potatoes have long been cultivated in southern US and many thought they were nearly impossible to grow in Wisconsin. This all changed in the last ten years. Local farmers experimented and discovered varieties of sweet potatoes that would grow in the north. Today we get a bountiful supply of organic sweet potatoes from Levi Miller, an Amish farmer in Mt.Hope, WI that you can find in our produce section October-March each year.
Last year, VFC Customers purchased 11,248 pounds of local sweet potatoes from Levi Miller!
Types and Uses of Sweet Potatoes:
Orange: have orange-ish rose-colored skin on the outside and a rich orange flesh on the inside. They are great when baked whole, cut into chunks and added to soup or chili, or cut into cubes and roasted.
Purple: are purple on the outside and inside! They have a drier, more dense texture, and better-balanced sweetness than their orange counterparts.
White: have copper-colored skin on the outside and white flesh on the inside. They are ideal for soups and stews.