A rich, creamy gratin made with sweet potatoes and kale. Perfect for the holidays!
This was a sponsored post with Brandfluential for Organic Valley back in 2012. It has since been updated. All opinions are my own.
I feel like I've written about all my failed Thanksgiving sweet potato attempts several times already (or maybe it just feels that way?) and I really don't want to bore you with yet another story about those sweet potato failures, but I'm going to do it anyway.
Because without those failures this Sweet Potato & Kale Gratin would not exist! (And after this, I will have written about each one of my sweet potato failures, so you won't have to hear about them again. Promise.)
My very first idea for a sweet potato side was a gratin. I had this fabulous idea for a recipe involving fresh rosemary and cheese and I just knew it was going to be delicious.
But I was a little too sure of myself and I thought, "I bet I can make this lighter! I'm going to use milk instead of heavy cream!"
You guys? If you're making a gratin, don't use milk. Oh sure, it works some of the time. But the other times, you have a curdled gratin. That curdled gratin might taste good, but it is quite literally a hot mess. A greasy hot mess.
My husband reassured me that it tasted good, but it looked like something that would be served to prison inmates.
When you're cooking for the holidays, you don't want to run the risk of a gross looking sweet potato gratin. And it's the holidays! The time of the year when you can get away with using heavy whipping cream!
So this is my redemption gratin. I used Organic Valley Heavy Whipping Cream to make it. No curdled sweet potato gratin this time!
I also decided to replace the rosemary with nutmeg for a more traditional sauce and then because I can never bear to do anything completely traditional, I used fewer sweet potatoes and replaced them with kale. (Yes, kale! I can't get enough kale and sweet potatoes!)
With a rich side dish like this one, the addition of greens helps lighten things up a little bit.
Organic Valley is a brand that I use often in my cooking, so when I had the chance to develop this recipe for them, I was pretty excited about it.
I try to be mindful of what I put in my grocery cart, and when it comes to dairy, things like hormones and antibiotics are a concern for me, which is why I like Organic Valley.
And when I buy produce, I buy organic when possible in order to avoid pesticides--well, did you know that dairy can also contain pesticides? Organic Valley products don't; the pastures that their cows graze on are free of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.
Those are the reasons I've bought Organic Valley in the past, but in working with them on this post, I learned a new reason to buy from them in the future: Organic Valley is a farmer-owned cooperative, helping small family farmers thrive in an era of agribusiness. How cool is that?
More Tasty Ideas
If you love this sweet potato and kale bake, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
If you're here planning your holiday menu, don't miss our new Vegan Christmas and Vegan Thanksgiving cookbooks. They're packed with all my favorite holiday-worthy recipes for a plant-based feast.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. kale tough stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes peeled and thinly sliced (mine were between ⅛ and ¼-inch - you can use a mandoline slicer)
- 1 c. shredded Organic Valley Parmesan cheese
- 1 pint Organic Valley heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Black Pepper
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp. Organic Valley salted butter cut into small pieces, plus more to grease baking dish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Steam kale for about 3 minutes, or until wilted, in a large steamer basket set over boiling water. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Squeeze out excess water.
- Place half of the potatoes in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. (You don't have to do this neatly, but try to make sure each layer is even!) Top potatoes with kale, then top kale with half of the Parmesan cheese. Place remaining potatoes in dish and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Whisk together whipping cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and pour over potatoes. Dot with butter.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20-25 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown. Allow to sit 15 minutes before serving.
Sara @my less serious life says
my boyfriend would love this. he is both a kale and sweet potato lover. if i was nice...
Vespa Woolf says
I like the kale to lighten things up and the tips on curdling milk. Whipping cream for special occasion gratin is fine with me if it's organic! This is a great recipe--thanks.
Kiersten says
Yup, I figure if you're making this for a crowd, it's best to just go all out and use heavy cream! It's the holidays, after all. 🙂
Carolyn says
I love Organic Valley, it's a great brand. And this recipe looks delicious too!
Kare @ Kitchen Treaty says
Sweet potatoes in a gratin! Fabulous. So weird but this would have never crossed my mind. And if I'm going to like kale, darn if I'm not going to like it in a creamy cheesy sauce. This one's on my to-make list.
PS: Sweet Potato Failures would be an excellent band name.
Kiersten says
I just found a kale gratin recipe that I think I might try soon. It looks almost like creamed spinach, but baked. I am intrigued.
Yes, let's make a band called Sweet Potato Failures! I call the tambourine!
Jeanette says
I've never tried kale and sweet potato together - what a wonderful combination!
Lily says
Sweet potatoes and kale are my two favorite things! I was looking for a lunch recipe that uses the two ingredients together and while this may be too heavy for lunch I think it would be perfect for my Christmas dinner! Thank you!
Kiersten says
This is most definitely too heavy for lunch! 😉 But I do have some lighter sweet potato and kale recipes too! I'm a little bit obsessed with the combination:
Sweet Potato Pizza with Kale & Caramelized Onions
Sweet Potato & Kale Wraps
Kale & Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Jackie @ Domestic Fits says
A gratin with kale?! I love this so much.
Shirley says
I love potato gratin! I've never tried it with sweet potato, and I like the idea of lightening it with a vegetable. Must try. And yeah, sometimes you just have to go with full-fat cream. 🙂 I wonder if half-and-half works? One of my quiche recipes calls for both cream and half-and-half, and I just use all half-and-half.
Shirley says
And is the trowel-looking thing a measuring cup or baking dish? Too cute!
Kiersten says
It's a measuring cup! They were on clearance at Anthro. 🙂
Kiersten says
I think that the higher the fat content, the less likely it is that the gratin will curdle. So half-and-half could work, but there's more of a chance that it will curdle than if you use heavy whipping cream.
Shirley says
I have this on my list of things to try this month (at least half of which I'll never get around to), so I'll report back on the half-and-half.
Kiersten says
I hope it works out! Fingers crossed for no curdling...
Kelly @ A Girl Worth Saving says
Yum! You know anything made with HC is a yes in my book.
Jennifer The Quirky Momma says
Oh this looks wonderful!
Karly says
I just made a squash and potato gratin for my husband's boss and it was a bit curdled and greasy looking. I was not pleased.
Still tasted great, though.
Love your photos!
Kiersten says
Isn't it weird how that happens?! I was so disappointed that the one I tried to make for my Thanksgiving feature turned out like that too. But I know other times, I had baked things with whole milk and they turned out fine. Well hey, as long as they taste good, right? 🙂
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
Love the richness of colors! Kale goes so well with potatoes. What a great recipe. Bookmarked!
Hilesha O'Nan says
I bet this is good!
Candace says
Kale and Sweet Potatoes make an amazing combination! I love that you made a gratin with these. I am pinning this one and can't wait to try it. This is a great giveaway. Thanks so much to you and Organic Valley for the opportunity to win.
Kiersten says
Yeah, when I told my husband I wanted to add kale to the gratin, he was like, "Another sweet potato and kale recipe?" Well, YES. They are delicious together!
charu says
i love sweet potato & I love kale., I have to try out your gratin recipe... looks delicious.. charu
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
This is calling my name! I've been on a sweet potato and kale kick lately.
Courtney Rae Jones says
Yum! Looks delicious!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I loooove the idea of this! Yummy 🙂
Kelly @ Texas Type A Mom says
That looks so filling and cheesy! I've never had sweet potatoes anyway but as a dessert but everything's better with cheese!
Maureen @ Wisconsin Mommy says
I'm always on the lookout for yummy ways to eat kale!
Leslie says
This looks like a fantastic recipe..will try this soon! And I love Organic Valley..I used their milk so many times throughout the summer to experiment with making kefir!
Kiersten says
I have never attempted that, but my husband loves kefir--maybe I should! 🙂
marina says
how do i slice the sweet potatoes so thin?
Kiersten says
You can use a sharp knife to do it, otherwise a mandoline slicer or food processor work well.
diane Baum says
I especially love their salad dressing
Tim Hughes says
That sweet potato and kale looks delicious!
carol lewis says
looks very yummy