Savory Rainbow Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin

Can you taste the rainbow?

I love the many colors that potatoes and sweet potatoes come in. You’ve got the basic Idaho white potatoes and red potatoes, which are only red on the outside. Then you’ve got your Yukon golds and purple majesties. 

Moving into the sweet potato family, there is also a white version popular in Korea and purple varieties called Okinawa and Ube. Plus, the orange sweet potatoes we all crush on during Thanksgiving. 

Fortunately, more and more of these varieties are showing up in our local markets. 

You can make this recipe for sweet potatoes au gratin with any trio of colors. If you can’t find white sweet potatoes, use a Yukon gold. Can’t find ube, use the purple majesties. 

To get things started, give the potatoes a good scrub to clean them, and then slice them into 1/8-inch slices. 

I highly recommend using a mandoline. It will speed up prep time tremendously, and will guarantee even slices. 

Once everything is sliced, create 2-3-inch tall stacks, alternating the colors. It’s okay if the slices aren’t evenly sized. We’ll adjust that when we move them to the pan.

When your stacks are built, carefully transfer them to a greased skillet or baking dish. 

Build the outer circle first. Then, create the inner circle. If you notice that some colors aren’t shining through, lift them up, so they can be seen. If some of your slices are super small, you can fit two slices in there, so one boosts up the other. 

The Cheese Sauce

This dish can be paired with any type of cheese. If you’re using all or mostly sweet potatoes, I recommend choosing a cheese variety that goes well with fruit. Think about it. Sweet potatoes are sweet, like fruit, so it just makes sense. 

I chose a nice Vermont cheddar, which pairs wonderfully with apple and pears, but a fontina would also be nice. I do recommend selecting a white cheese instead of a yellow cheese, so the colors of the potatoes really pop. 

The cheese sauce is made by creating a light roux of butter and flour. Then, add in the fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Nutmeg takes all cream sauces to the next level. 

Whisk in the cream and milk, until you have a velvety smooth sauce. Then take the pan off the heat and stir in your shredded cheese. 

Pour that magic over the potatoes and bake it in the oven or smoker. 

The results are a true showstopper, so much so that this side might outshine the entree.