Rich cream, spicy chipotles in adobo, and gooey Gruyere combine for a unique and delicious spin on traditional sweet potato side dishes. I first tasted this dish during research for an article I was writing, and it became an instant favorite. Six years later, it remains a staple on our holiday table. Exceptional to taste and a breeze to prepare? It doesn’t get much better.
This special recipe comes from Jen and Peg of Three Sisters Farm in Texas. It was originally published in Edible Houston magazine by writer and CAFE volunteer Ellie Sharp. Shared with permission. I hope you enjoy!
Serves six 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ⅛” -to ¼”- thick rounds 2 cups heavy cream 2–3 chipotle chilies in adobo 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 cups grated Gruyere
Preheat oven to 375° F.
In blender or food processor combine cream, 2–3 chipotle peppers and 2–3 tablespoons of the adobo sauce and blend. Add salt and pepper and heat in a saucepan until it reaches a simmer.
Arrange slices in 9- by 13-inch baking dish or pie plate
Pour cream/pepper mixture over potatoes
Top with Gruyere
Bake 40–45 minutes, until bubbly and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
I’m a big fan of breakfast. I’m especially a big fan of breakfast when I’m not running the morning school/work routine marathon. So, when I have the time, I LOVE putting in the extra effort for a big, hearty breakfast. On the weekends, we like having a super late breakfast around 10 a.m. The animals have been fed, and we can settle in as a family to enjoy a table loaded with yummy food. (It’s also a perfect time to shore up sustenance for a weekend full of to-do lists and commitments.)
Our go-to options are frittatas or a sheet pan hash made with delicious, roasted local vegetables accompanied by fresh eggs and savory meats. The beauty of both of these dishes is that you can spice them any way you like, creating a truly customized meal based on the seasons and whomever is sharing your table that morning (actually, these make great last-minute brunch-for-dinner nights too!). Dress them with hot sauce and microgreens for extra pizazz and nutrition.
Here’s a breakdown of combinations to try. Play around and experiment! You really can’t go wrong — this is basically a fail-proof meal guaranteed to taste delicious.
Optional meat: Break up ground sausage, slice up bacon, or add leftover meat from the night before (see recipe on when to add)
Greens: kale, Brussels sprouts, spinach
Seasoning profile: Mexican (chili powder, cumin, garlic), Moroccan (cumin, coriander, cinnamon), herbaceous (garlic and a mix of herbs)
Serving: hot sauce, microgreens, cheese or go vegan and sprinkle some hemp hearts for added protein!
Ingredients as pictured
2 rutabagas, peeled and diced 1 turnip, peeled and diced 3 sweet potatoes, diced 1 onion, diced Salt and pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika ½ bag/bunch lacinato kale Fried eggs Hot sauce and microgreens for serving Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
On a large sheet pan that has been greased or covered (parchment, Silpat, foil), heap your vegetables in the middle. Coat with about two tablespoons of the oil, and sprinkle with seasonings. If you’re going to include any uncooked meat, like sausage or bacon, add now. Toss all ingredients and spread out into a single layer.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, flipping the mixture when it’s a little more than halfway done.
When it looks like the vegetables are just about done (good browning on the edges and cooked through), remove the sheet pan. Add the shredded kale (if you were going to add any leftover or previously cooked meat as noted in the rundown above, you would add now). Toss together lightly and roast for an additional 5-7 minutes until the kale is browned.
This is a rich and flavorful way to incorporate an abundance of nutritious foods, many of which can be sourced through CAFE. It features silky coconut milk, tender root vegetables, seasonal pumpkin and more in a hearty curry-spiked broth. Local sausage and creamy lentils add depth and protein, but you can omit the meat for an equally tasty vegetarian spin.
Ingredients 2 pounds squash or pumpkin, peeled, seeded and diced 1 pound pork sausage 2 to 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and diced 1 cup dried Lentils, rinsed (substitute split peas if desired) 1 large or 2-3 small/medium onions, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated 2-inch ginger, freshly grated 1-inch turmeric, freshly grated Crushed red pepper to taste A few tablespoons of Thai curry powder or paste to taste
Boil 8 cups water, add pumpkin (or squash) and simmer until very soft, about one hour. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and crushed red pepper. Simmer until lentils and sweet potatoes are soft, about 30 to 40 minutes.
Add curry powder or curry paste to taste, and chopped greens or green onions and sweet peppers if desired. Simmer to allow flavors to mingle. Use this time to brown and crumble the sausage.
After all vegetables are tender, add one can coconut milk to the soup. If you like it a little sweet, you can add some sugar or honey to taste. Finally, add in the browned sausage.
Recipe & photos by Amanda Callahan of Callywood Farms I’m a big fan of “sheet pan” meals — those glorious, easy-peasy all-in-one dishes perfect for quick and healthy dinners. They are incredibly versatile and (mostly) require minimal attention. Think of them as an ideal “clean out the fridge” technique great for pairing local ingredients you often don’t know what to do with: combine proteins, veggies, and starches however you feel moved. I love putting fresh greens on the top toward the end of cooking, too, like in this recipe!
My friend recently passed along a huge sweet potato from his garden, and I had a bunch of radicchio that I honestly didn’t have a plan for but was excited to use. I thought both would pair well with sausage and debated how to proceed. I was leaning towards a soup, but then remembered I had a couple packages of cauliflower gnocchi in the freezer, and I LOVE roasted gnocchi. Whether it’s frozen cauliflower gnocchi or the shelf stable potato based gnocchi, if you haven’t tried roasting it, you’re missing out my friends! Gnocchi is traditionally boiled like pasta, but when roasted the edges become brown and toasty taking on a nutty flavor that is perfection when paired with fall flavors like sweet potatoes and sage.
Try this easy sheet pan meal this week and make sure to snap a pic and tag us on social media!
Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
1 onion, sliced
2 packages of cauliflower gnocchi (10 oz each), frozen, or 1 package of potato gnocchi (16 oz.)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (about 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper)
About 10 sage leaves, chiffonade (sliced thinly)
2 stalks of rosemary, minced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
1 pound Italian sausage
1 bunch of local radicchio, sliced into ribbons
Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Use two sheet pans (pictured here is just one, however, my sheet pans are full sized and most people have half sized, so use two for better browning of ingredients) and cover each with a Silpat mat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil.
Place sweet potatoes, onion, and gnocchi onto the pans. Drizzle everything with two tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, garlic, and two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Toss everything to combine. Spread out evenly. Break up the sausage with your hands and nestle small pieces of the sausage among the potatoes and gnocchi.
Place it in the oven for 25 minutes. The sweet potatoes and gnocchi should be beginning to brown.
In a small bowl, toss the radicchio with the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove pans from the oven. Toss all the ingredients on the sheet pans. Scatter radicchio on top. Place back in the oven and cook for an additional five minutes until the radicchio starts to crisp on the edges.
Remove and serve with cheese and crushed red pepper, if desired.
