Printable Recipe: Chipotle and Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato Gratin

Chipotle and Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato Gratin

This recipe is like nothing you've ever served for Christmas or Thanksgiving before, I promise. It's so good and so simple, in fact, that you'll want to make it all year round. It's a wonderful accompaniment to roasts, BBQ meats, or... whatever. Spicy, creamy, cheesy, and full of flavor, there are no other sweet potatoes recipes quite like it.

Serves 8.

Ingredients:
5 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled
1 lg. onion, sliced thin
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 can canned adobo chipotle chilis
2 C. whipping cream
1 C. Swiss cheese, shredded
1 C. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper, as needed and to taste

Instructions: 1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired. Cook until tender.

2. Cover and cook on medium low until onions start to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Stir often, and don't allow onions to burn.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch baking pan (glass works best).

4. With a very sharp knife, slice sweet potatoes into thin slices. Spread an even layer of potato slices onto bottom of pan. The sweet potato slices should resemble something like scales in the pan.

5. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with salt and pepper, a bit of each cheese, and a bit of onion.

6. Repeat until potatoes have been used up, finishing your layers with a last layer of sweet potatoes and reserving a small amount of cheese.

7. Press down on casserole to make it more settled and even.

8. In a blender, combine whipping cream and chipotle chilis (don't include adobo sauce). Blend until well combined.

9. Pour whipping cream mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle cheese on top.

10. Cover casserole with foil. It's important the the foil doesn't touch the cheese, or it will pull the cheese right off the casserole when you remove it.

11. Bake 45 minutes.

12. Remove foil. Return casserole to the oven and bake about 15 minutes more, until bubbling and golden and potatoes and tender.

13. Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.