Sweet Potato and Apple Gratin

This sweet potato side dish would be a lovely addition to your Thanksgiving table; it's not nearly as sugary as many sweet potato recipes, but gets an extra touch of sweetness from the roasted apple.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups thinly sliced and peeled Granny Smith apple
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 thinly sliced and peeled small sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Combine the apple and lemon juice in a large bowl tossing to coat.

2. Add the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, butter, salt, and black pepper.

3. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring at the 25 minute mark.

4. Place the bread slices in a food processor and pulse about 10 times, until coarse crumbs equal 1 cup.  Combine the breadcrumbs in a bowl with the olive oil and nutmeg.

5. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the sweet potato mixture and bake for an additional 15 minutes - the top of the gratin should be golden.

6. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, so the juices can thicken.

Round out the meal with the Thanksgiving works. Shortcuts here and there can't hurt, and I recommend the vegan stuffing mix from Whole Foods, and biscuits made from a mix:

I also enjoyed the gratin with Whole Foods canned whole berry cranberry sauce, and a simple braised lentil dish:

For the centerpiece of the meal, try my Mushroom and Caramelized-Shallot Strudel if you're up for cooking, or Gardein's stuffed turkey if you're not.

Finally, I highly recommend my Gingered Pumpkin Pie for dessert, but if you want a fun shortcut, try canned sweetened pumpkin spread onto gingersnap cookies:

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 portion), Calories 214 

Tasting Notes:
The sweet potatoes are definitely the star of the show here, with just a light hint of maple syrup. I would definitely increase the apple, so the gratin is closer to a 50/50 apple-to-sweet potato ratio. The top layer of the gratin dried out in the oven, so use more liquid, whether water or apple juice added at the same time as the maple syrup.  The breadcrumbs were, however, a fresh, crunchy alternative to a streusel topping. To make this one notch better, I would increase the nutmeg.

Rating:
3.5

Vegan extra:
It's the right time of year to eat your orange and yellow veggies, but if you're not a sweet potato fan, there are plenty of others to choose from. For the easiest side dish ever, bake a spaghetti squash, scrape out the flesh with a fork to form long "spaghetti" strands, and top with olive oil and vegan Parmesan sprinkles: