Week 73: Sweet Potato, Apple, and Caramelized Onion Gratin

Have you ever found a recipe that, after trying it, you wanted to immediately make it for everyone you know? You feel like you have hit a culinary jackpot, and you just need to share the wealth?

For example, when I first made Poblano and Mushroom Tacos from Epicurious, I wanted to quit my day job and spend eternity making these vegetarian masterpieces. Okay...maybe a SLIGHT exaggeration.

Well, I have struck gold once again, my friends. I knew that this dish had potential. When I saw all of those ingredients that I loved in the TITLE of the dish, and saw it was followed by a word synonymous with CHEESE, I knew I was in for a treat.

Here's the thing, though: It is not in the least bit healthy. I'm talking heavy whipping cream, FULL fat sour cream, and cheddar cheese. This is okay for the occasional treat, but if I make this a habit, I'm going to have to invest in a new wardrobe in the next size up. If you know how many clothes I tend to buy, this could get quite expensive. AND THEN I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD TO BUY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS DISH! Woe.

Year of Yum Rating: 5 STARS

INGREDIENTS
1 medium sweet potato, (ridiculously) thinly sliced
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup caramelized onions
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup full fat sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 375F and spray a small casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl mix the cornstarch into the cream, then blend in the sour cream. Set aside.

In another small bowl mix together the salt, cinnamon, coriander, and smoked paprika until evenly mixed. Set aside.

In the prepared casserole dish layer 1/3 of the sweet potatoes, apples, and caramelized onions. Dust with 1/3 of the spice mixture then add 1/3 of the cheese and pour over 1/3 of the cream mixture. Repeat two more times.

Bake the gratin covered in foil for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, our until the gratin is bubbling and the cheese has browned.

Week 72: Steak Fajitas with Sweet Potato and Poblano

This week's recipe came from Real Simple. Such a beautiful magazine, and a just-as-beautiful website.

These fajitas confirmed what I already knew:

-I adore sweet potatoes.
-I should really try to cook with poblano peppers more often.
-I stink at cooking/eating/understanding meat.
-I love mexican food. Especially slathered in sour cream.

The flavors were really good. The only thing I might have added is feta cheese, but I am a little obsessed with the feta/sweet potato flavor combination at this point in my life. The steak was a little chewy for my liking, but I'm sure it added some much-needed iron to my diet. I wouldn't mind making these vegetarian next time.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 small poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/4 pounds skirt steak, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo
8 small flour tortillas, warmed

DIRECTIONS
1.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2.Add the sweet potato, onion, poblano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, heat broiler. Season the steak with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and place on a broilerproof rimmed baking sheet.
4.Broil the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
5.In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and chipotles. Fill the tortillas with the steak, vegetables, and chipotle sour cream.

Easy + Cozy = DELICIOUS

My favorite thing about crockpot recipes is that you can put the ingredients in before work, and you can come home to a completed home-cooked meal. Sometimes I don't try slow-cooker recipes because I am going to be gone longer than I am supposed to cook it for. So until I get a crockpot with a timer, I will be looking for recipes that cook for 8-10 hours.

This minestrone soup had a lot of things going for it:

Healthy? Check! (Seriously...look at all those veggies!)

Easy? Check! (It just required a little bit of veggie-chopping the night before, and then I was able to throw it all in the crockpot that morning.)

Long cook-time? Check! (I was able to not worry about it all day.)

I also liked that I got to add in uncooked pasta about 30 minutes before I wanted to eat the soup.

INGREDIENTS
8 cups beef broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes (whole can, Italian-seasoned)
1 cup dry beans: I used mixed soup beans, --- rinsed in hot water
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 small onion, finely diced)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup uncooked pasta

DIRECTIONS
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour broth into your cooker, and add tomatoes and the beans.

Add vegetables, seasoning, and thawed spinach. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until the beans are soft. Add dry pasta, and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until pasta is bite tender. Serve in bowls with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.