Sweet potato gratin with baked stars recipe

A flavour-packed sweet potato gratin with baked stars is ideal for Christmas or a special occasion.

If you love sweet potato fries, why not try this gratin - so, you can get your sweet potato fix with a Christmas dinner, or a Sunday roast. It’s easy to make and is full of festive flavour – chestnuts galore. If you’re not a vegetarian then why not try making it as a side dish to your Christmas dinner? If you’re catering for vegetarians and vegans then you can replace the dairy products (butter, double cream and Parmesan) with vegan alternatives. This gratin is sure to be a Christmas hit!

Ingredients

• 500g sweet potato, cut into thin slices (set some aside, and cut into stars)
• 50g chestnuts, roasted and peeled
• 15g butter
• 4tbsp chestnut purée(we used Merchant Gourmet)
• 150ml double cream
• 150ml vegetable stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped
• 60g vegetarian Parmesan
• 30g breadcrumbs
• you will need:
• star shaped cutter
• ovenproof dish

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Arrange the sweet potato in an ovenproof dish in rows, overlapping a little (remembering to save a few slices to cut out stars from).
2. Scatter half of the chestnuts over the top and repeat until you’ve used up the sweet potato slices and roasted chestnuts. Melt the butter in a pan and whisk in the chestnut purée. Add the cream, stock and thyme to the chestnut purée and warm through. Season, then pour overthe mixture over the layered sweet potatoes and chestnuts.
3. Sprinkle with half the Parmesan cheese and cook for 40 mins. Now top with the remaining cheese, then breadcrumbs and the sweet potato star slices, and cook for another 15 mins until golden.