Scalloped Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin

This scalloped yukon gold and sweet potato gratin is stunningly delicious. The savory flavors, the melty cheese, and the perfectly tender potatoes make this dish a family favorite. In fact, it is high on my list of favorite potato casseroles ever.

Hello my friends.

I’m excited to be here today to share with you this delicious scalloped potato gratin recipe. This recipe is unique in that it uses yukon gold AND sweet potatoes. That and the combination of fresh herbs really makes this dish stand out in the flavor department.

I know some people don’t care for sweet potatoes in those sweet casserole-type recipes. With the exception of these sweet pecan yams I posted earlier this month, most of those are big no-no’s on my taste buds as well.

But savory sweet potato recipes have my heart completely. There’s just something about the sweet and the savory combination that really speaks to my soul.

A little story about the recipe…

The first time I tried this dish was this past July. After spending a week up at girl’s camp with dozens of 12 to 17-year-old girls, I was running off adrenaline after four sleepless nights. I was completely drained. When I dragged my tired self home, I crashed on the couch for the rest of the afternoon, literally unable to do anything. My good friend Carolyn R. (a.k.a. my angel of mercy) came by that evening and brought us dinner, including this potato gratin and some delicious roast chicken.

Honestly, any food that I didn’t have to make that day would have been a welcome sight. I was so exhausted. But oh my friends, when I tasted these potatoes I was completely smitten.

Days after it was scarfed up, I could not get this dish out of my mind. Seriously the flavor is so unforgettably delicious. I begged Carolyn for the recipe, which she graciously obliged. And I’ve been making it ever since.

I’ve adapted the recipe slightly (after many, many times of making it) in order to simplify it and make it more accessible. And I can’t wait for you to try it. It’s a winner for sure.

Ingredient preferences and substitution ideas

The fresh herbs are my most favorite way to make this dish. Thankfully they are readily available in most grocery stores, if you are not fortunate enough to have them growing in your backyard. I’ve also included a variation with dried herbs, but the fresh herbs really make a difference.

For an explanation of the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, head on over to the sweet pecan yams post where I totally divulged my deepest disappointments after learning the truth. The bottom line is, you will want to use red-skinned sweet potatoes (known as “yams” in most grocery stores) for this recipe. I’m sure any type would work, but the red-skinned yams are what will create the lovely color contrast.

When I’m out of cream, I use a combination of whole milk and evaporated milk. It works well, but the cream gives this dish a richness that I prefer.

The recipe calls for Gruyère cheese, which I had honestly never even heard of before making this dish. I couldn’t find Gruyère cheese at my local grocery store, but I was able to find it at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find it, you can substitute a high quality Swiss cheese. I recommend using freshly grated cheese (rather than the pre-grated stuff) so it melts a little smoother. The Gruyère cheese has a bit stronger, more profound flavor, and seems to melt a little better.

The perfect everyday side dish or holiday recipe

This dish is simple enough to make for dinner any night of the week. You can prep it up to 8 hours in advance of baking. It is perfect served alongside this Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken or this Easy Roast Beef. But it’s also special. It would make a perfect side dish to a holiday meal – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, you name it.

Okay my friends, I’d love to hear what you think about this recipe. It has become one of our favorites, for sure.

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Scalloped Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin

This scalloped yukon gold and sweet potato gratin is stunningly delicious. The savory flavors, the melty cheese, and the perfectly tender potatoes make this dish a family favorite. In fact, it is high on my list of favorite potato casseroles ever.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Rest Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream see note
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 ½ pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes about 2 medium, see note
• 1 ½ pounds yukon gold potatoes about 3 medium
• 2 teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ⅓ cups (6 ounces) freshly grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese see note

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9×13″ baking dish and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine cream, butter and garlic and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Meanwhile prepare fresh herbs, if using, and potatoes. Peel yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes and slice into ⅛-inch rounds (I use a mandolin slicer for this). Place in a large bowl. Sprinkle over potatoes chopped parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper and mix well.

4. Spread half of potatoes in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle half of grated cheese over potatoes. Spread remaining half of potatoes on top. Then sprinkle with remaining grated cheese. Pour cream mixture over potatoes, pressing lightly to submerge potatoes as much as possible.

5. Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil bake 30 minutes in preheated oven. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until top of gratin is golden brown and most of liquid is absorbed. Let gratin stand 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Notes

1. Instead of the cream, I have also made this dish with a combination of whole and evaporated milk and it still turned out good. I do, however prefer it with the cream.

2. I also prefer using fresh herbs as they give the dish a fresh, delicious flavor. But I have also used dried herbs when I am out of fresh and they will also work.

3. Red-skinned sweet potatoes are usually called yams in the grocery store.

4. I slightly prefer using Gruyère cheese, but sometimes it can be hard to find. I have also made this dish with Swiss cheese and it’s also delicious that way. Using freshly grated cheese is preferred to packaged grated because it melts a lot smoother.

5. I have made this dish successfully up to 8 hours ahead. Just prepare everything until the baking step, then cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. You may need to add an additional 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.

Recipe Source: Heather @The Cook’s treat, adapted from a recipe shared with me by Carolyn R. originally found at Bon Appetit

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

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