This sweet potato gratin is packed full of nutritional benefits. Sweet potatoes are a rich source of fibre, as well as containing a good array of vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, selenium.
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp coconut or extra virgin olive oil
• ½ – 1 tsp sea salt
• 6 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• Few sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, sage or oregano
• 1 x 400g can coconut milk
• 125ml plant-based milk (pages 304–306) or broth or stock
• 3 sweet potatoes or standard potatoes or a mixture of both, thinly sliced with a sharp knife or mandolin
Elevate it: 1 garlic clove, crushed, 1 white onion, finely chopped, a handful of kale or spinach, diced, 2 carrots or beetroots, thinly sliced
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/ gas mark 4. Put the oil in a saucepan and set it over a medium heat. Once hot, add the salt, nutritional yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg and herbs (along with the garlic, onion, and greens, if using). Sauté for 3–4 minutes, until fragrant. Then add the coconut milk and plant–based milk, and stir to combine.
2 Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add your potatoes to the pan and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
3 Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes from the pan. Arrange one-third of them over the base of a 33 x 22cm baking dish, until it is covered. Press them down firmly with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula (add the carrots or beetroot, if using).
4 Then cover with one-third of the coconut mixture. Repeat this layering process until all the potatoes and the coconut milk mixture are used up. I usually manage 3 layers of each. The sauce should only just cover the top layer of potatoes, but shouldn’t be overflowing.
5 Press down on the mixture a final time, ensuring the potatoes are as compact as possible, then place in the oven and bake for 50–60 minutes until it turns golden on top. (I usually bake mine for 50 minutes, remove from the oven, then sprinkle with extra nutritional yeast or Nut Parmesan (page 313), turn the oven up to 200°C /gas mark 6 and bake for a further 10 minutes, until it turns golden on top.
Recipe courtesy of Danielle Copperman, extracted from’s Danielle Copperman‘s debut cookbook, Well Being
