Since the start of this blog, we’ve had some fun with various Gratins and Casseroles. Today, a friend was telling me about how he had made a Mexican dish that prominently featured sweet potatoes, and riffing off that idea, a spicy gratin seemed to fit the bill!
As with all gratins/casseroles, this is highly customizable. We used chicken, but this would also work with pork (pulled or sliced), beef, or even black beans. For veggies, we used sweet potatoes (obviously given the recipe name), kale, and onion…but you can easily flip those out for red peppers, corn, okra, and even asparagus or avocado. Lastly, you get to pick your cheese! We went with pepper jack to double down on the spiciness, but cheddar and/or taco cheese would be great too.
Time: 1 Hour
Ingredients:
- 1 Chicken Breast
- 1 Large Sweet Potato
- Onion
- Kale (sliced)
- Heavy Cream
- Cheese of your choice
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Chilies of your choice. We used ground habanero and chipotle chili powder.
- Optional: Smoked Paprika
- Optional: Lime Juice
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and give a casserole dish a quick oil spray.
- Slice your sweet potato, onions, and any other veggies you are using, and set them aside
- Cut your chicken breast into thin slices.
- Build the base of your casserole by layering down about half of your sweet potatoes to cover the pan. Then, all of your onions, kale, and chicken in layers.
- Sprinkle your cumin and ground chilies atop your chicken, and give a good lime juice spritz atop. Add a layer of cheese atop that.
- Build a top layer of sweet potatoes, and then pour a little heavy cream over them. Top all of that with another layer of cheese, and sprinkle on some smoked paprika if you’re planning to use it.
- Cover with foil, and bake for about 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the foil, and bake uncovered for about 15-20 minutes until your chicken is cooked, and your sweet potatoes are nice and soft. You should have some liquid bubbling on the side of your casserole dish as well by this point.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
