Elevate Your Classic Au Gratin With A Sweet Potato Swap
Potatoes au gratin is basically the ultimate comfort dish — it's creamy, cheesy, indulgent, and, best of all, simple to make. If you know all of this already, you've probably made potatoes au gratin before and are familiar with the ins and outs of the dish. If you fall into this category and you're looking for a way to switch up the recipe from time to time, we have a solution: Use sweet potatoes instead.
To get started, you can refer to Tasting Table's potato au gratin with gruyere recipe and simply swap out the regular potatoes for the sweet potato variety. Most of the prep work will be the same, except the cooking time will have to be lowered because sweet potatoes cook a little bit faster.
The sweet potatoes will bring some sweetness and earthiness into the very creamy dish, making for a complex and delicious meal that is a bit nuttier than it would be if made with regular potatoes. You may even end up preferring the sweet potato version to its traditional counterpart.
Cheeses and topping ideas for sweet potato au gratin
Tasting Table's recipe completes the potato gratin dish with gruyere as the cheese choice, as well as garlic, salt, and pepper for seasoning — and these choices will work just as well with the sweet potato version. However, if you want to switch it up, there are other cheese and seasoning options to consider. Some cheeses that pair well with sweet potato include cheddar, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella. Also, cheeses similar to gruyere include emmental, comté, and gouda (just make sure to pick a gouda that hasn't been aged too long so that it will melt well).
As for the seasoning, you can top the sweet potato au gratin with onion powder or garlic powder — or both — as well as salt and pepper. You could even add a bit of paprika in there for more depth of flavor (and a subtle kick of spiciness). Or, perhaps you throw in some dried herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, or thyme, to round out the dish.