A delicious sweet potato gratin with fresh sage, thyme and a hint of orange. These sweet potatoes are made without any added sugar or sweeteners.
This delicious side dish is perfect for all your holiday dinners.
Why make this recipe
Growing up, we only ate sweet potatoes for holiday dinners. They were the required side dish topped with little marshmallows. I've eaten a lot of different types sweet potato casseroles since then and so many are overly sweet.
These sweet potatoes are sweet, but all the sweetness comes from the potatoes themselves. This recipe does not any added sugar or mini marshmallows.
This gratin is sliced sweet potatoes layered with a cream mixture that is baked until nice and creamy. The potatoes are topped with Parmesan cheese during the last few minutes of baking to make a lovely crust.
Serve this sweet potato casserole at your next holiday dinner and wait for the raves!
Sweet potatoes or yams
According to Bon Appetit magazine, most yams from the grocery store are actually orange sweet potatoes. Back in the 1930s Louisiana sweet potato farmers called their orange sweet potatoes yams to distinguish themselves from other sweet potatoes and the name stuck.
In most grocery stores you can buy sweet potatoes (white flesh) or yams (orange flesh). I've used both types when testing this recipe.
In a taste test, they both taste the same, but I like the orange color and tend to use the yams, or orange sweet potatoes the most often.
Key ingredients
- Sweet potatoes
- Heavy Cream
- Fresh sage and thyme
- Orange - just the peel
- Parmesan cheese - for the topping
Step by step directions
- Place heavy cream in a pot along with fresh thyme, fresh sage and orange peel.
- Bring cream to a boil and then turn off heat.
- Allow mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes so the flavors steep into the cream.
- Strain cream removing orange peel and herbs.
- Peel and slice sweet potatoes. Use a mandolin set at ⅛" or cut thin slices with a knife.
- Layer a third of the sweet potatoes in a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover with a third of the cream mixture.
- Continue layering sweet potatoes and cream
- After the final layer, press potatoes down firmly in pan.
- Cover with foil and place casserole dish on a baking sheet.
- Place in a preheated 350° oven for one hour.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes until potatoes are brown and bubbly.
- Add Parmesan cheese and return to oven for 15 minutes.
- Allow casserole to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Tips for making
- Only use the outer peel from the orange. Do not use the white pith, which is bitter.
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the orange peel in long strips.
- Use a mandoline to make uniform sweet potato slices. Always use extreme caution when using a mandoline. The blade is razor sharp. Use the safety guard to prevent injury.
- Bake casserole on a baking sheet. This makes easy clean up if your casserole spills over while baking.
- Garnish with fresh thyme before serving.
Recipe Faqs
Yes, you can make this sweet potato gratin ahead of time. Bake up to one day ahead of time. Don't add parmesan cheese.
Allow casserole to cool, then cover and refrigerate.
To use, reheat, uncovered in a 375° oven until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Add cheese and bake 10 more minutes.
More delicious holiday dishes
If you are looking for other great holiday side dishes, I've got you covered! Check out these great recipes
- Cranberry Sauce
- Green Bean Almondine
- Roasted Asparagus
- Sweet Potato Rolls
- Oatmeal Rolls
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Wild Rice Salad
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my Side Dish Recipes.
Sweet Potato Gratin
Ingredients
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 leaves fresh sage
- 1 orange peel
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (Grated)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Place cream. thyme, sage and orange peel in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Allow mixture to sit for at least 15 minutes allowing flavors infuse into cream. Strain mixture and set infused cream aside.2 cups heavy cream, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 4 leaves fresh sage, 1 orange peel
- Peel and slice sweet potatoes into ⅛" slices.3 pounds sweet potatoes
- Spray a casserole dish (3 ½ quart size) with non-stick cooking spray.
- Layer ⅓ of the sweet potato slices in the bottom of the casserole dish, overlapping slices.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper
- Pour ⅓ of the infused cream over potatoes.
- Repeat 2 times until all sweet potatoes and cream are used.
- After final layer, press sweet potatoes down firmly in pan.
- Cover with foil and place on a baking sheet. Place in a preheated 350° oven for one hour. Remove foil and continue baking for 45 minutes.
- When sweet potatoes are cooked trough and the mixture is bubbly and browned, sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Return to oven for 15 minutes.¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
- Allow casserole to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
- Only use the outer peel from the orange. Do not use the white pith, which is bitter.
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove the orange peel in long strips.
- Use a mandoline to make uniform sweet potato slices
- Bake casserole on a baking sheet. This makes easy clean up if your casserole spills over while baking.
- Garnish with fresh thyme before serving.
- Bake up to one day ahead up to the step of adding the Parmesan cheese.
- Cool, cover and refrigerate.
- Reheat, uncovered in a 375° oven until bubbly, about 20 minutes.
- Add cheese and bake 10 more minutes.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by Fine Cooking
Valentina says
I'm a sweet potato fan all year long -- and especially during the holiday season. This gratin is calling my name! So delicious and comforting, and adding the touch of orange flavor is brilliant. YUM! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
Thanks, Valentina!
annie@ciaochowbambina says
This is going on my weekend menu! I can't wait 5 weeks before having it!! 🙂 YUM!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Growing up we ate a lot of regular potatoes and not sweet. These days we love both in our home! Love how delicious this looks Kathy! This would be a lovely addition to our holiday table. Nice touch with the orange - YUM!
David @ Spiced says
What a fun twist with the orange peel in there! Those sweet potato casseroles covered in marshmallows seem to be a ubiquitous holiday side dish. Confession time - I've never liked those! However, I do like sweet potatoes, and I'm thinking these savory gratin is calling my name big time right now!
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Now this would be PERFECT for the Thanksgiving table Kathy! Sweet potatoes are a favorite of mine. More so than regular potatoes. I love the added orange peel for flavor.