Sweet Potato and Apple Gratin

By ghinman

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs. butter, divided
• 1 cup, fresh bread crumbs
• 4 cups, thinly sliced yellow onions ( about 3 med.)
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh sage leaves or 2 tsp. dried sage
• Salt and freshsly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced, about 4 small potatoes
• 4 cups, peeled and sliced apples, such as Honeycrisp, about 3 large apples.

Preparation

Step 1

Place rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. In a lg. skillet, melt 1 Tbs. of the butter over low heat. Pour into a small bowl, then add the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Set aside.
Return the skillet to the burner and increase heat to high. Add the remaining 2 Tbs. of butter and melt.
Add the onions and saute them until they are soft and just turning golden, about 8 min. Stir in the sage and season with 1 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Arrange overlapping slices of sweet potato in the bottom of a 3 qt. baking dish, using about a third of the slices. Season with salt and pepper. Top with half of the sliced apples and half of the onions.
Arrange another third of the sweet potato slices over the onions and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining onions andd then the remaining apples. Top with the remaining sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 to 55 min., or until the potatoes are very tender.
Uncover the dish and top with the reserved bread crumbs. Bake for another 15 min. or until the crumbs are browned.