Sweet Potato Gratin with Maple Nut Crumble

Sweet potato tian with maple nut crumble is shown straight out of the oven.

Sweet Potato Gratin with Maple Nut Crumble

This healthy Thanksgiving side dish is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a crunchy, nutty topping for a unique and beautiful presentation. Vegetarian and dairy-free.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Resting time10

Total Time1 25

Servings:

Ingredients

For the sweet potatoes:

▢ 5-6 sweet potatoes or yams or a mix -try to find yams that are as cylindrical as possible
▢ ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil plus extra to coat the baking dish
▢ ¼ cup pure maple syrup
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the topping:

▢ 1 ½ cups finely chopped nuts -walnuts pecans, or a mix
▢ 1 tablespoon maple sugar brown sugar or raw sugar can be substituted
▢ 1 heaping tablespoon flour you can also use gluten free flour or rice flour
▢ 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or enough to coat the crumble

Instructions

Place a rack in the middle of your oven and preheat it to 375°.
Prepare your baking dish by spraying it generously with cooking spray or brushing it liberally with olive oil.
Add the olive oil, maple syrup, and salt to a large bowl and whisk together well.
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Peel or scrub the sweet potatoes and use a mandoline or a very sharp knife to cut them into ⅛ inch slices. Add the slices to the olive oil and syrup in the bowl as you go and toss intermittently to coat (this helps prevent browning).
5-6 sweet potatoes or yams
Arrange the slices in your pan standing up against each other. You can use any pattern you like, just make sure that they are packed in fairly tightly. Pour any remaining olive oil/maple syrup over the tian.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and roast for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick or a small knife, which should pierce the middle with no resistance.
Combine the nuts, sugar, flour, and olive oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the tian, and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it so the topping doesn’t burn.
1 ½ cups finely chopped nuts -walnuts, 1 tablespoon maple sugar, 1 heaping tablespoon flour, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Remove from the oven when the topping is golden brown and crunchy. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I prefer a mix of garnet yams and sweet potatoes, which offers some variation in texture, color, and tempers the sweetness a bit. For even more color variation (and more fiber and nutrients), you can buy red, yellow, and purple sweet potatoes and leave the skins on. Just scrub them well before slicing.

Buy more sweet potatoes than you think you need. I’ve used as many as 5 large ones in a 9x9 pan. Look for sweet potatoes/yams that are about the same circumference and more cylindrical and less irregular in shape.

Nutrition