Spiced Sweet Potato Gratin

OK, so we needed a little break from Thanksgiving fare…from squash, pumpkin, turkey leftovers, and the like. So we went on to cheeseburgers and tamales. But there are still some wonderful, easy to prepare holiday dishes to be shared. Like this one…

Sweet potatoes (not yams) about 5 large, peeled and sliced thin. If you have a mandoline, that is the perfect tool. If not, you can use the slicer on your food processor. No special equipment? Slice thin with a knife, that would work just fine.

Butter a baking dish, or use non-stick spray. Form a layer of overlapping sweet potato medallions. Sprinkle the top of each layer with the following:
  • Coarse salt
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Brown sugar
  • Pumpkin pie spice

Repeat for a total of three layers. If it sounds odd to add salt and pepper to a sweet dish, do not let that stop you. This combination works so don’t be shy. I am a fan of fresh grated nutmeg, so I add that in addition to the pumpkin pie spice.
Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of:
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ginger
  • Lemon peel
  • Nutmeg
  • Cloves
  • Cardamom

Pour cream over the sweet potatoes until about half way up the side of the baking dish. This 9 X 13 dish will serve over 20 people.

Baked covered with aluminum foil at 350 until the potatoes are al dente, about 1 1/2 hours. You might want to put the baking dish on an underliner, as it tends to bubble over. Remove foil and continue cooking until the potatoes are soft and the top is browned.
Holiday Tip: I make this a day ahead, cooking covered until al dente. Then I let it cool and refrigerate over night. Take out of the refrigerator about an hour before reheating. Cook uncovered until hot and bubbly. The best part: You can reheat this in the oven while your turkey is out of the oven and resting.

It is also a great dish to bring to someone else’s party. Once cooked, it transports well. Wrap it in aluminum foil and just heat it up when you get there. All the different spices make for an interesting dish, you’ll be a hero.

Speaking of being a hero, Aunt GeeGee (that would be me) is one too, with a new basketball court for my nephews! Here is Stone on the day before Thanksgiving. Nice shot! We took a break from cooking to shoot some hoops. By the way I don’t just shoot photographs, I’ve been known to shoot a three-pointer every once in a while too!

40 thoughts on “Spiced Sweet Potato Gratin”

  1. Hi again. Lori! Tks for visiting me, and you probably saw that my blog has a translator, so no excuses for futher visits, if you want to know a little about Brazil. I’M really don’t have time enough for translate everything, I’m so sorry, but I think that won’t stop us to talk and to share the thing we love. I’m adding you on my list. Hope see you soon!
    Peace and sucess always!
    Paula

  2. L-L, you know this dish drove the neighbors bonkers with the aroma wafting from the oven!

    Fresh nutmeg only here!

  3. sounds amazing. i’m all for new starch ideas during the holidays. mashed potatoes are tiring, but this looks heavenly!

  4. The food critic loves sweet potatoes and I know he would love this, so much better than those sweet potatoes people coat in marshmallow .. 🙂

  5. I’ve still got the yawns-sweet potatoes confusion to sort out but your gratin looks gorgeous! And so does your basketball court, I’d cheer for both of you anytime 😀 Since we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving here I can’t really say I need a break from all those yummy dishes.

  6. I like the savory sweet mix for this gratin, and it is perfectly cooked, bubbly and delicious, plus thanks for layering, I love that attention to detail.

  7. Holy guacamole, that looks BEAUTIFUL! I just want to plunge my face into that pan of golden sweetness. Mmmm~! And yaaay, you go, Aunt GeeGee, show the boys how girls do those three-pointers on the court. 😉

  8. Looks amazing! Thank you for your comments about my cat. 🙂 Coincidentally, I just posted a recipe for spinach gratin on my site. Not my own recipe, but it’s sooo good.

  9. Thanks for this recipe. It’s perfect for one of the office parties my daughter is going to. We love sweet potatoes and lately I have been adding them to breads and rolls. We also love them roasted topped with creme fraiche.

  10. My God! They look oh so yummy! Wish I could taste it and grate it in my mouth. Excuse my french but the images just brings out in me a great appetite.

  11. Oh that look so mouth watering. I also like sweet potato, but never made something fancy like this!
    Delicious!

    Btw, that is really nice shot of your nephew. Bet he had fun.
    Elra

  12. Dear Lori Lynn,
    Doesnt that look scrumptious – the sweet potato gratin – clever idea and the pictures make my mouth water.

    Yummm – always handy to have a dish to bring. Cool aunt and cool basketball court

  13. Oh this is so great! I love sweet potatoes and in gratin I bet they are delicious!! Gotta find some one of these days to try your recipe 🙂

  14. I like sweet potatoes best with just butter and salt BUT this looks and sounds so good, I think I will give it a try for Christmas.

  15. The pictures along with your verses make me think that I might missed this blog for a long time. I will ask my mom to try this dish with potato.

  16. Im confused,sweet potoato or yam. I though sweet potatoes were orange.I know yams in Africa and the Carribean are more white in clor. Help! Either way it sounds like a heavenly dish.

  17. THANK YOU EVERYONE for your comments. There is a lot of confusion of yam vs. sweet potato. I am not an expert, but what I buy here in California at Whole Food looks like this: a lighter skin potato with a creamy pale yellow flesh is called sweet potato. A more brown ruddy skinned potato with oranger flesh is called a yam. For this dish I use sweet potato because it is more like a baking potato and is not as sweet as a yam. You could use either, I am certain yams would be good too. It would be a different dish, more sweet, less potato-y. Let me know if you try it. OK, gotta go practice my basketball shots now!
    Lori Lynn

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