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Sweet Potato & Kale Gratin (Whole30 Day 8)

By 19 Comments

 
Looking for more Whole30 recipes? Check out my cookbook Paleo Planet (there are over 80 in there!) and the Whole30 section of my recipe index.
 
Phew!  Posting every single day is starting to get very exhausting!
 
Don’t get me wrong–I love to dream up recipes, cook, take pictures, and then write about it.  It’s just that somehow I find myself on the couch each evening around 11, realizing there is so much work left to do!  Yesterday’s post went up at 11:59 pm.  It always takes a little bit of pressure to actually get my nose to the grindstone.
 
I think that since it’s 10:58 right now, and I already have the photos and the recipe all set, I should be getting this one up a little earlier.
 
But before I hit “publish”, though, let me tell you about this good-looking gratin!

 
Ben and I hosted Thanksgiving for the first time this year, and eight people came!  I made this delicious sweet potato & kale gratin with a vegetarian guest in mind, but it ended up being one of my favorite things at the table.  It’s kind of been stuck in my head ever since.  
 
But, we’re talking about a gratin that’s packed with butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese.  A Whole30-er can only dream.
 
I thought I could recreate the effect by making a sauce like this: a whole head of roasted garlic, blitzed to creamy perfection with a bunch of coconut milk and a little stock.  Because roasted garlic is not cheese, but it’s pretty much the next best thing.
 
 
And guess what?  It worked!  I love this gratin just as much, if not more because it’s paleo and vegan-friendly.  It doesn’t hold together quite as well as its cheesy counterpart, so it won’t be a neat square when you serve it, but it’s really delicious.  A delicious I can feel good about.
 
Just in case you’re wondering, it didn’t taste like coconut to me.  It also didn’t taste extremely garlicky, since roasted garlic is so mellow–those two ingredients just serve to make you feel like you’re eating something really creamy and savory.  It’s like creamed spinach, but with kale, in the middle of a sweet potato sandwich.
I used half light-colored sweet potatoes (they’re called Hannah yams and I got them at Whole Foods) and half regular orange ones so I could make this fun color pattern.  Then, the camera ran out of batteries and the sun was quickly setting, so I cut my losses and sat down to enjoy a big piece.  
 
That’s why there aren’t any photos of the sliced gratin–I ate it, twilight fell, and there were no batteries to be found anywhere.  It’s okay, though, because no one can be sad while they’re eating gratin.  It’s a thing.  Make some and you’ll see!
 

Want more Whole30 tips & recipes?  Come back for a new post everyday this month, and check out these previous posts:

For even more paleo recipes, check out these Whole30 posts from my archives or my Whole30 Pinterest board.  Also, follow me on Instagram to see pics of what I’m eating throughout my Whole30.

Sweet Potato & Kale Gratin (Whole30)

Sweet Potato & Kale Gratin (Whole30)

Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

For the roasted garlic:

  • 1 head garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

For the sweet potato and kale gratin:

  • 4 tablespoons ghee (melted) or olive oil, divided
  • 1 bunch kale, tough stems removed, chopped
  • 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced into 1/8" thick rounds
  • 1/4 cup vegetable stock

  • 1 1/2 cups coconut milk (one 14.5 ounce can)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut the top off the head of garlic so the tops of all the cloves are exposed, and drizzle the cut side with the olive oil. Wrap the head in tinfoil and place it right on your oven rack. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the cloves are very soft when squeezed or pierced with a fork (your garlic should like the picture above). Let cool for a few minutes, then squeeze each clove out of its peel and set aside in a medium bowl.

Meanwhile, steam the kale until wilted, 2-3 minutes. You can use a metal strainer set over a saucepan of similar size if you don't have a steamer. Put an inch or two of water in the saucepan, bring it to a boil, set the strainer with the kale on top, and cover. When the kale is wilted, set it aside to cool.

Leave the oven at 400, and grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13" glass baking dish with two tablespoons of the ghee or olive oil.

Layer half the sweet potato slices in the bottom of the baking dish in overlapping rows. Squeeze the excess water from the kale and sprinkle it evenly on top of the sweet potatoes. Top with a little salt & pepper. Layer the remaining sweet potato slices on top of the kale.

Add the coconut milk, stock, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the bowl with the roasted garlic. Process with an immersion blender (or transfer to your regular blender to puree) until smooth. Pour the sauce evenly over the potatoes, and drizzle the remaining two tablespoons of ghee or oil on top.

Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove the tinfoil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. If you'd like to brown the top of your gratin a little more, set the oven to broil and place the gratin in the broiler for 1-2 minutes (don't walk away!). Let the gratin sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

To decrease prep time, you can roast the garlic a day or two ahead of time and stash it in the fridge.


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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 315 Total Fat: 20g Saturated Fat: 14g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 16mg Sodium: 342mg Carbohydrates: 34g Fiber: 5g Sugar: 10g Protein: 4g
The nutrition label provided is an estimate for informational purposes only and may not be accurate. I am not a nutritionist or medical professional.
© Becky Winkler
Cuisine: French / Category: recipe

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Comments

  2. Melinda Gingery says

    If I am not a big garlic lover would it greatly impact the flavor if left out? And If I don’t have fresh nutmeg is that okay? Thanks

    Reply

    • Becky says

      Roasted garlic has a much more mellow taste than the garlic you’re probably used to, so you might like it better! It does add a lot of the flavor here (kind of as a stand-in for cheese, which usually adds flavor to gratins), but it would probably still taste good without, maybe with a little more salt, pepper, etc. If your nutmeg isn’t fresh that’s fine.

      Reply

  3. Jeanette says

    Thanks for the recipe, it was awesome! I added baby bella mushrooms. I will definitely make this again, however with less sweet potato and more kale..

    Reply

    • Becky says

      So glad you liked it, Jeanette! Thanks for sharing your modifications–I bet it’s great with mushrooms, and who doesn’t love more kale?

      Reply

  4. Cathy Davidson says

    Found your recipe today, as I was searching for another use for Kale, on our 12th day on Whole 30. Was a hit with all my family. Easy to make and loved the flavor combinations . Thanks so much!!

    Reply

  5. Jaclyn says

    This looks delicious, Thanks for sharing. I’m wanting to make it tonight but don’t have kale on hand. Would spinach be an adequate substitute? Thanks!

    Reply

  6. Jul says

    Made this tonight. Double batch. It is delicious. Curious, though, does yours have a lot of broth at the bottom? Also, my coconut mixture ended up lookng like it separated in the blender. Looked like creamy butter bits. I used a spatula to spread the “butter” on the top and it was melted when I removed the foil. Wanted to know if this was your experience, as well.

    I would definitely recommend it and make it again. So yummy! I would just like less brothy or thicker sauce in the future. Suggestions?

    Reply

    • Becky says

      So glad you liked it, Jul! Hmm, there is definitely always some liquid at the bottom, but I don’t remember it being a lot. Baking without the foil on top for the second half and letting the gratin sit for at least 10 minutes before serving should result in not TOO much extra liquid. Did you squeeze the water out of the kale before adding it? I’d just try leaving the broth out next time to see if that helps.

      I’ve never had the coconut mixture separate like that, so I’m not sure what to advise. You used full-fat coconut milk, right?

      Reply

  8. Cathy Y. says

    Hi Becky! I made this tonight and it was delicious! It had a lot of steps, but with some practice, I think I can get the prep time down. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

    • Rebecca Winkler says

      Thanks, Cathy! I'm so glad you liked it. It is a bit involved, but worth it in the end :). Since my boyfriend doesn't like sweet potatoes, I got to eat all the leftovers myself…it was delicious heated up the next day for breakfast, too!

      Reply

  9. Jen Benson says

    This looks absolutely fabulous! Have you calculated calories, fat, and the like? It seems super healthy and great nutrition. Will definitely have to try this soon.

    Reply

    • Rebecca Winkler says

      Thanks, Jen! It is really good. I don't calculate nutrition info, but this one is probably not low-fat because of the ghee and coconut milk (although you could probably use light coconut milk and cut it down some). It is definitely packed with nutrition from the sweet potatoes, kale, and garlic, though! 🙂

      Reply

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