Smoky Spicy Sweet Potato Gratin
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Cook time: 
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Serves: 6-8
 
Ingredients
  • 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 3-4 Tablespoons butter, at room temperature
  • ½-1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1-2 teaspoons sweet Spanish smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper
  • 1½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes, and using a mandoline, a food processor or a sharp knife and a lot of patience, slice them thinly into even rounds. Set some of the prettiest and most perfect rounds aside for the top layer.
  3. Butter a 14 inch gratin dish. Layer the sweet potatoes in concentric overlapping circles (or ovals) over the bottom of the gratin dish. Dot with a few dabs of butter, sprinkle with cayenne (more is obviously spicier), smoked paprika, a pinch of salt (go lightly on the salt -- the smokiness of the paprika adds a salty impression) and a few grinds of black pepper. Repeat with the next layer, and the spices and the butter, until you reach the top, where you'll use your reserved sweet potatoes.
  4. Pour the cream over the dish, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the cover, bake an additional 30 minutes. Serve warm. (I happen to love this cold, but it doesn't reheat well because the cream tends to separate. You can make it entirely in advance except for the baking part, and pop it in the oven an hour before dinner is served).
Recipe by The Domestic Front at http://www.thedomesticfront.com/spicy-sweet-potato-gratin-a-different-sort-of-sweet-potato/