Orange & Yellow Potato Gratin
Hiya! Busy, busy weekend. Meant to get this out to you yesterday, really about a month ago when I tested it out before Thanksgiving—where does the time go? I didn’t actually serve it for the big day because….I have absolutely no memory of why because I do remember that the three of us at home loved eating this in mid-November as the weather was starting to get chilly, so it stands to reason that my larger clan would have loved it too, but that’s really not important now, is it? What I’m trying to say in a very convoluted and long winded way, is that this Orange & Yellow Potato Gratin is just lovely and I think you might want to include it at one of your holiday celebrations. There, I’ve finally spelled it out.
Who doesn’t love a good potato gratin? Tender potatoes in a light garlicky cream sauce. YUM! With this one, you get more to love because you not only use Yukon Golds but sweet potatoes too! In addition to the terrific balancing of taste and texture, it’s gorgeously seasonal, with those bright orange and yellow hues!
And for all the ooh’s and aah’s this’ll earn you when you set it on the table, the dish is fairly easy to throw together. The most time consuming part is the slicing of the potatoes. You just need a sharp knife, a cutting board and nerves of steel! Just kidding, it’s actually not that bad,
The rest of the dish comes together in a snap and all you are left to do is bake it. I love how the top layer of spuds gets a little bit crispy while those below sort of melt in your mouth. It’s the ultimate in comfort food and the kind of side that will be a huge hit no matter what holiday you serve it for!!
Potato & Sweet Potato Gratin
Makes about a dozen servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Bake Time: 75-80 minutes
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
About 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and dried
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
2 cups whole milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
The Recipe
Preheat oven to 400ºF and grease a 9x13-2-inch baking dish generously with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.
Use a sharp knife to thinly slice all of the potatoes and place them in the dish, arranging them so that there is a nice visual of yellow and orange.
Bring the milk,, garlic salt and pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan and pour the mixture evenly over the potatoes. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter and cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for about 50 minutes and test to see if potatoes are tender and almost all of the milk mixture is absorbed. If potatoes are not soft, cover the pan again and bake for another 10-15 minutes and test again.
Place the cream in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the foil from the pan, pour the cream evenly across the top, dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and return the dish uncovered to the oven for another 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Let cool a bit and serve.
You could definitely make this a day ahead and reheat or make it earlier in the day through step 3, leave the dish at room temperature and complete Step 4 about 30 minutes or so before you want to serve it.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from an old issue of Bon Appétit Magazine. I tinkered and omitted the thyme and nutmeg.
