Sweet Potato Gratin

Sweet potatoes do not have to be candied to get my attention. Although I admit, I love that way. But I also like it more savory. They go really well with Parmesan. Tonight I am tossing some pork chops into the oven and I want a winter side dish. This is a dish you definitely need to plan ahead for. The prep work takes a little time unless you have a mandalin slicer which I do not.

Sweet Potato Gratin
2 BIG sweet potatoes sliced into very thin slices
1 cup of Parmesan cheese grated
1 cup of cream or whole milk
4 TB of butter divided
salt and pepper
Bread crumbs

Slice the sweet potatoes and place into water while you are doing them all. Sweet Potatoes in CA seem to not have as dark of flesh as they should but they still taste great.

Place the potato slices into a greased casserole dish. I usually get out of control trying to line them up just perfectly but it really isn't necessary. Really!

In a sauce pan, warm up the milk or cream with the 2 TB of butter. I am using cream only because it is the time of year when I always have it in my frig. I have made it using milk and it is good too. I do not recommend using skim milk.
Once the milk is just about to bubble, turn down to a simmer and add the Parmesan cheese. You could add a dash of nutmeg but my kids don't enjoy the flavor of it like us adults do. Season with salt and pepper. Don't be afraid to taste it and adjust it as needed.

Pour the melted Parmesan mixture over the potatoes.
Cover with foil and bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and take off the foil. If I have any leftover cheese, I will toss on the top. Return to the oven until the potatoes are tender. It takes another 30 minutes for my oven.
Remove from the oven and add the bread crumb topping. To make the topping, take two TB of melted butter and mix with the bread crumbs.
Top the bread crumbs on the potato gratin and return to the oven for ten minutes. We like them really toasty so I let it go a couple additional minutes. Let sit for ten minutes before serving.