Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you enjoyed a blessed day of eating, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones.
Ben and I spent our Thanksgiving with my parents, grandparents, and sisters/brothers-in-law in CT, where we had SNOW! I am just glad that we all made it here safely and in time for the Thanksgiving feast. We even got to introduce Samoa to Scout, my parents’ pup. The two have had their moments, but overall they seemed to get along.
This year I was put in charge of the sweet potatoes. Now that us girls are grown and married off, my mom has decided to delegate sides to each of us every year. It works out perfectly, as all three of us have our “specialties.” Bethany always makes the cranberry sauce (yes, from scratch- I don’t just mean that she has a special touch with the can opener), Mary makes some kind of side veggie (roasted brussels sprouts and bacon this year!), and me- well, given my love of sweet potatoes, that was a no brainer. I decided to get creative and rebel against my mom’s suggestion that I make sweet potato casserole with brown sugar, cream, and butter (I’m just glad she wasn’t serious about the marshmallows!). I settled on a more savory take- scalloped sweet potatoes with roasted apples, caramelized red onion, and rosemary, with a sweet honey glaze and cranberries on top. It was a welcome addition to a lot of other hearty sides, and all those colors were gorgeous! I especially loved how they looked next to the brussels sprouts and cranberry sauce on my plate. Delish!
This recipe can definitely still be enjoyed through the season, even though Thanksgiving is over. All you need are some sweet taters, apple, dried rosemary, red onion, honey, dijon mustard, and a handful of seasonal spices.
- 4-6 medium sized sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp EVOO, plus more for casserole dish
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 apples, cored and sliced thinly (about 1/4″)
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 4 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp dried cloves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- Cook potatoes in oven, skins on, at 400 deg for 45 min or until skins are wrinkled and potatoes are tender. Peel and slice into 1/4″ slices.
- Cook 1 tsp EVOO, garlic and red onion on medium high heat for 5 min or until browned and tender. Remove from dish and add cranberries. Cook until tender, using the back of a fork to gently crush.
- In an oiled casserole dish, layer half of potatoes and apples so that they are overlapping. Top with half of onions, the rest of the potatoes and apples, and remaining onions. Top with cranberries.
- In a saucepan, whisk together remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, then reduce to a simmer (add more water if necessary) until slightly thickened. Pour evenly over potatoes and tilt dish side to side to make sure the sauce seeps down really well!
- Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 min, then remove foil and bake 15 more minutes. Feel free to “baste” the potatoes on top with more of the juice, if it’s all pooled down into the bottom!
What was your favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table this year?
Claire Tastes 
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