Sweet Potato Gratin with Sage-Butter and Thyme

This recipe was inspired by one of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes ever, by Regina Schrambling. We took that dish and turned it on its side — jamming sliced sweet potatoes into the pans in upright rows, for maximum textural wonderfulness. Then we riffed on Regina’s creme-and-thyme idea, adding sage-butter to the mix for special dusky depth.

For some reason, the photos do not convey how meltingly fabulous the dish is – soft as butter, velvety, rich and herbal. Absolutely luxurious. Four pounds of sweet potatoes perfectly fit my 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish, but you might want to buy an extra sweet potato for insurance — you definitely want these tightly packed.

Use a mandoline, if you have one, to make quick work of slicing them. (Watch those fingers!)

Serves 8 - 10.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsweetened butter, plus additional for buttering the dish

4 pounds sweet potatoes, preferably garnet, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices