Sweet Potato Gratin

Hey there! Today really felt like a Monday. It started well. Well, kind of. It actually started with an argument with my teenager because teens love the drama. After the school drop off, I had a breakfast date with two old friends. It was SO GOOD to catch up. Then the crap show started. I had a mishap where my brand new shirt got stuck in my jeans zipper. The only way to fix it was to rip my shirt. Booo 🙁 Not cool. After the ‘zipper incident’,  I started running a few errands and got a call from my 14-year-old who had a migraine. Poor guy. As a migraine sufferer, I felt so bad for him! Thankfully getting home and sleeping it off was just what he needed to kick it to the curb. When he woke up, he was nice and drama free too! This afternoon, I was putting away our garbage cans and my new sweater got snagged on the stucco of our house. Seriously universe. Back off. Ha! Needless to say, I indulged in way too many Butterfingers and a glass of red wine. Whatevs. I am finishing the day strong with some blogging and crafting.

I have a few tried and true recipes that make an appearance throughout the year. My sweet potato gratin is one of those gems. I usually serve this as a side for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is perfect alongside a pork roast or a turkey. It is a pretty effortless recipe loaded with flavor.

Another well-loved recipe? My bread pudding. The men around here die for that one. They like it with raisins. Personally, I think raisins are gross but hey, it’s Christmas. It’s no time to be Scrooge so I give them the raisins. I will definitely have to share that recipe in the near future. It has Christmas written all over it.

Tonight’s shining star was this sweet potato gratin. Tonight I served it with pork loin. I made a rub using brown sugar, olive oil salt & pepper and a little bit of thyme {which is also the herb used in the recipe below}. I love thyme. I think it’s so pretty as an accessory. I always have thyme as accents in my backyard. It looks so pretty in pots and it smells yummy. Lemon thyme is my fave. It also makes a great hostess gift and it is so good on potatoes. All kinds of potatoes. Thyme is pretty much the teachers pet around here, can you tell?

Sweet Potato Gratin

6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
2 1/2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 large Vidalia (or any sweet onion) sliced thin
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Heat oven to 400. Rub 13x9x2 baking dish with 2 Tbsp butter
2. Spread third of potatoes slices in dish, top with half of the onions, thyme, and cheese. Repeat with another third of potatoes, the rest of the onions, thyme, and cheese. Top with remaining potatoes.
3. Mix cream, salt & pepper – pour over potatoes. Dot with remaining butter
4. Cover with foil, bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20 more minutes until lightly browned. Let sit 10 minutes before cutting

This dish will not disappoint and you will be asked for the recipe. Plus, it’s E – A – S – Y which is pretty key for this crazy time of year.

So Tuesday is a new day, right? #punchtomorrowintheface