I love candied sweet potatoes, but they can be a bit boring, so I decided to look for another way to serve sweet potatoes. I found a recipe for Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples in a hundred-year-old cookbook and decided to give it a try.
The Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples were delightful. Sliced sweet potatoes and apples were embedded in a buttery brown sugar sauce.
I knew this recipe was a winner when my husband said, “You should make this again for Thanksgiving.”
Here’s the original recipe:
And, here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples
3 medium sweet potatoes
water
1 1/2 cups sour apples (Granny Smith, Braeburn, etc.), peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt (if desired, use less)
Put sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil using high heat, then reduce heat and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender when tested by inserting a knife (30-40 minutes). Remove from heat, drain, and cool slightly so the sweet potatoes can be handled. Gently remove the peels from the cooked sweet potatoes, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Put 1/2 of the sliced sweet potatoes into a 1-quart baking dish, then top with 1/2 of the sliced apples. Sprinkle with half of the brown sugar; dot with small pieces of half of the butter and sprinkle with half the salt. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Put in oven and bake for 1 hour.
What an interesting combination.
The sweet potatoes and apples worked well together.
A nice recipe, the sour apple balancing the sweet of the potatoes.
Exactly – the sour apples and the sweet potatoes balance each other nicely.
Just in time. Sweet potatoes are planned but I do believe I will add the apples. Thanks.
Apples are a nice addition to the sweet potatoes
How interesting. It’s never occurred to me to use sweet potatoes in a sweet dish. How daft am I?
In the U.S.m sweet potatoes are commonly used in various sweet dishes – candied in a brown sugar sauce, put in a brown sugar sauce in a casserole dish and then topped with marshmallows that are lightly browned, etc. Sounds like we may have identified difference between U.S. and U.K. foods. 🙂
I think so. I’ve never been offered or seen a recipe for a sweet potato sweet dish in the UK. It sounds like we are missing out. I’ll try your suggestion maybe, and see if I can convert my sweet potato disliking husband.
I’m giving this a try on Thanksgiving!
I think that you will like it. When you boil the sweet potatoes, boil them until they are just barely tender. They will slice better, and will get softer when baking.
I bet that tasted great! I’m wondering if you think the sugar could be cut down some. Say ¼ cup?
Yes, I think that it would work with less sugar, though it would have a less of the thick sugary syrup.