BACKSTREET CAFE’S SWEET POTATO GRATIN
Note: This elegant dish is Backstreet Cafe’s most-ordered item on its Thanksgiving to-go menu. It takes a long time to bake, but when you slice into the layers of sweet potato with struesel on top, you’ll say it’s worth the effort. The dish can be made up to two days ahead; to reheat, remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before warming. Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes.
Sweet potato gratin
• 6 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1⁄2 recipe Almond Streusel for topping
Almond Streusel
• 1 (4-ounce) stick unsalted butter, cubed
• 3⁄4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon minced orange zest
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3⁄4 cup almond flour
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Combine streusel ingredients in mixing bowl and chill in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir or mix on medium speed in a stand-up mixer until mixture has a coarse meal texture. Keep cold.
Cut sweet potatoes, lengthwise, into thin slices of 1⁄8-inch thickness. Whisk together the heavy cream and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. For each layer, arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer in the prepared dish.
Lightly drizzle the cream-sugar mixture over the potatoes. Repeat this process until using all of the potatoes. For the top layer, drizzle all of the remaining cream-sugar mixture.
Cover with aluminum foil. Place on a sheet pan to catch cooking juices and place in oven until the sweet potatoes are soft or until easily pierced through with a knife, about two hours. Every 30 minutes, turn sheet pan for even baking.
Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle gratin with streusel. Return to oven and bake until lightly browned on top, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Serve warm.
Serves 8-10
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