As We Trudge

    
      Despite some pals who have celebrated birthdays over the past few weeks, I struggle with this muddy month and am always happy when it marches out the door. However, sweet potatoes and Roy Orbison have made the trudge towards Spring a bit more bearable than usual. Between his California crooning and the near holy matrimony of sage with sweet potatoes, delight has been scratching at the windows of the steamy kitchen.

      The role that sage plays in holiday cooking (often the leading herb in poultry seasoning and stuffing) gives it a soft spot in my book and rarely can I resist anything that smells like a pine tree. Being astringent in nature, the liver and lungs get a good boost out of their winter slumber when sage is included in a dish. Cutting through the sweet velvet of the potatoes and cream, sage's lemony taste is a beautiful balancer -- much like Roy Orbison's mitigation of winter's final attempt.

Sweet Potato and Sage Gratin

adapted from Danielle Postma

      No matter how you layer the sweet potatoes -- the flavors will be unified. As a big proponent for eating with one's eyes first, I went for beauty and spent more time than I wish to admit positioning and then re-positioning the potatoes. Arranging them in layered-columns in a rectangular or square pan is more approachable and encouraged the first few times you make this dish.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Ingredients

5 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled, washed and sliced into 1/4 inch coins

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 T dried sage (or 4 T fresh)

1 3/4 t sea salt

1 t freshly cracked black pepper

1 c (1/2 pint) heavy cream *

1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

*For the vegans, you may substitute nut or grain milk for the heavy cream.

Process

      Toss the sweet potatoes, garlic, sage, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. In an un-greased casserole dish or skillet, arrange the potatoes however exactly or haphazardly you wish, scraping the bowl clean of any remaining garlic and sage to go atop the gratin. Cover tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven, baking for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

      Remove foil to evenly pour the heavy cream over the potatoes. Crumble the cheese on top and place back in the oven to bake for another 15 minutes, uncovered. 

      Remove from the oven --  smell, smile and serve.

Serves: 6

Prep time: 10 minutes

Bake time: 1 hour

Pictures by Amy Pennington/Styling by Me