Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

[Sprout]

Tonight I'm attempting to make scalloped sweet potatoes. I'll be layering sweet potato slices with lightly salted flour, whole milk, a touch of oil, walnuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup, then I'll sprinkle a little finely grated swiss cheese on top for the last couple minutes of cooking. Because they take so long to cook and I'm adding the maple syrup, should I pre-cook the sweet potatoes? or will the other ingredients protect it from burning?

 

[Andy M.]

Don't you usually make up the white sauce before adding it to the dish rather than adding the ingredients separately?

I wouldn't precook the sweet potatoes. They cook faster than regular potatoes. If you're concerned about burning, cover the top with foil until you add the cheese.

 

[Sprout]

I've never mixed the ingredients before adding them to the layers. Sounds like a great idea! I'm used to judging ingredient amounts by the way they look in the pan, so it would be tricky the first few times figuring out the ratios, but I suppose that's what tasting the sauce is for. The trickiest part will be the flour. Do you have anything you could compare the desired consistency of the sauce to so I have an idea? do you cook the sauce or just mix the ingredients together? if you don't cook the sauce, how do you get the oil & milk to mix?

 

[4meandthem]

Don't you usually make up the white sauce before adding it to the dish rather than adding the ingredients separately?

I wouldn't precook the sweet potatoes. They cook faster than regular potatoes. If you're concerned about burning, cover the top with foil until you add the cheese.

I was thinking the same thing.I always make a white sauce then add it to the potatoes.The swiss cheese sounds a little funky in a dish you are trying to take to the sweet side.
I would suggest eliminating the cheese.Scalloped potatoes don't need any cheese.
You are kinda of mixing two diffrent styles here.I would either go for the sweet potatoe casserole recipe (sweet) or the Scalloped potatoe recipe (savory).

But Hey! You might discover something new too.

 

[Andy M.]

Sprout, do you know how to make a Bechamel sauce? That's all it is.

Heat the oil in a pan (I'd use butter), stir in the flour and cook it for a bit, whisk in the milk and bring it to a boil. Then you can adjust the thickness by adding more milk. A dash of fresh nutmeg caps it all off. You can also whisk in the syrup, if you like, for even distribution.

 

[Sprout]

Yeah, I've made Bechamel sauces before, just never thought of dirtying an extra pan for scalloped potatoes. I guess what I was wondering was how thick the sauce should be for the sweet potatoes, but that probably depends on how you like your potatoes. Thanks for the tips!

and 4meandthem, I'm a sucker for salty/sweet combos. I love the Swiss & raspberry sauce combo in a lot of Monte Cristo sandwiches, so I know I like Swiss with sweet, and I've used walnuts, maple, and other moderately strong cheeses together before, so I figured I'd give this a try. The Swiss I have is a little weak, so if it's a failure, at least it should still be edible. I actually got the idea because I use up my extra flour mixture from fried chicken, which contains a bit of cinnamon, to make scalloped potatoes (when the cinnamon is there I use bacon & bacon grease instead of ham and butter). My Husband likes anything better with cheese on it & all we had was Swiss so he tried it, made me try some, and it was good. Well it's just a short couple hops in my silly little brain from cinnamon to brown sugar to maple syrup, so I got curious. It sounded terrible with regular potatoes, so here I am. Now that you got an entirely unnecessary trip through the inner workings of my mind, I'll just say what I probably should have left it at. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[Barbara L]

I've always made mine like my mom's, layering the potatoes, onions, flour, dots of butter, salt and pepper, then adding milk. I had never thought about doing the sauce ahead either. I might try it sometime, but since it turns out so well, I may stick to my mom's way.

I would like to try making scalloped potatoes with sweet potatoes sometime.

Barbara

 

[n2cookin]

I have made scalloped potatoes both ways. Making the sauce separate and also just adding the ingredients in the pan. Sometimes when I just layer the ingredients in the pan with the potatoes I end up with some lumpy or flour globs in the mix. I am not as good as "Sprout" in judging the ingredients in the pan.

 

[Sprout]

Trust me, I've had my mishaps.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I am the only person who gets it right the first time, everytime!

Goodweed! Did I see you type that you get it right the first time, everytime? You kill me. Stop. Stop. My stomach is starting to hurt.
...Gets it right the first time.

Honey, get away from the keyboard. Get back I say. (heavy sigh) Ok. I make an occasional mistake too.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Sprout]

I am the only person who gets it right the first time, everytime!

Goodweed! Did I see you type that you get it right the first time, everytime? You kill me. Stop. Stop. My stomach is starting to hurt.
...Gets it right the first time.

Honey, get away from the keyboard. Get back I say. (heavy sigh) Ok. I make an occasional mistake too.

Yes, It was certainly a mistake to let the two halves of your personality argue publicly in type. I didn't know you called the other half "honey." I'm telling mom.

 

[joesfolk]

Yes, It was certainly a mistake to let the two halves of your personality argue publicly in type. I didn't know you called the other half "honey." I'm telling mom.

Tattletale

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Yes, It was certainly a mistake to let the two halves of your personality argue publicly in type. I didn't know you called the other half "honey." I'm telling mom.

Whadaya talkin' about! That was your mom bringing me back to Earth. You think she'd let me get away with such shenanigans? She is, after all, a woman. I'm sure your DH gets similar treatment. And remember, I brought you into this world...

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Sprout]

I know I posted this a really long time ago, but I haven't been on in a while. I finally made the dish a week or so ago & I thought it turned out pretty tasty. Thanks again for all your suggestions.