Individual Parmesan Sweet Potato Gratins

Some years we would skip Thanksgiving in our sort of way by heading to a cabin. We would bring groceries from the next town over and stock the fridge. My mom and I would cook a Thanksgiving meal fit for 5, even though we were only 3. It would be snowing outside, and icy winds would billow through the valley, but inside it was all biscuits, turkey, and gravy, oh my! We clipped recipes from magazines and made do with what ingredients we could find in the small mountain grocer.

Between the biscuits, one November we made potato stacks. Like scalloped potatoes, thin slices were baked in a creamy sauce and served hot.

Individual Parmesan Sweet Potato Gratins

Published October 28, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Yields: 12   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

2-3 small sweet potatoes (Look for ones that are thinner in diameter so they fit into a muffin pan when sliced.)

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Optional: fresh thyme or rosemary leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Using a pastry brush, grease the muffin tin with about half of the butter (1 tablespoon). Reserve the rest for later.
3. Wash the sweet potatoes, and peel them. Using a mandolin or the slicing attachment of your food processor, slice the sweet potatoes into thin rounds. Stack the slices in muffin pan.
4. In a small bowl, combine heavy cream, remaining 1 tablespoon butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and whisk just until combined. Pour the cream mixture over each potato stack, dividing (roughly) evenly. Sprinkle about half of the cheese over the potatoes, reserving the other half for later.
5. Place pan in oven and bake until cooked through, 30-35 minutes for a standard muffin pan (longer for a larger muffin pan).
6. Once potatoes are cooked through and edges are crisping, remove from oven and set aside to cool. Top with remaining cheese so that it melts. Optional: garnish with fresh thyme or rosemary.

Maple Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

Update: This is an older recipe from Foraged Dish but still a good one! I updated it on 1/1/2019 (happy new year!) to make it easier and more clear. Plus — new pictures, and a video!

The sauce here is as easy as adding 4 ingredients to a bowl. Sriracha, garlic, maple syrup, and coconut oil.

From there you can basically do whatever you like. I use chicken, bell peppers, red onion, and zucchini but you could easily swap in steak or shrimp, and replace the veggies for something else grill-friendly, like yellow squash, mushrooms (I LOVE grilled mushrooms!!), or even little cubes of pineapple. (If you like grilled pineapple, try these sweet and spicy barbeque shrimp & pineapple skewers).

Compared to other hot sauces, sriracha is not very spicy — it’s a little sweet, in fact. This, combined with some maple syrup, turns into an ultimate grilling glaze. It comes out as a sweet and spicy kabob. Make some extra sauce for dipping, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge if you have it. Make a complete meal by serving over a bed of rice!

Most people would tell you that kabobs are a perfect BBQ, potluck, picnic, camping dinner. But I — crazy me - made these in January while it was snowing. 🤪❄️Watch for snow flake over the grill in the video below!

Maple Sriracha Barbecue Chicken Kabobs

Published January 3, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

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Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup sriracha sauce

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 pound chicken breast, cubed

1 red bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 green bell pepper, diced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 red onion, diced into bite-sized pieces

1 zucchini, diced into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

1. Add garlic, sriracha, coconut oil, and maple syrup to a medium or large sized mixing bowl and stir to combine.
2. Add chicken, bell peppers, onion, and zucchini to bowl and stir to coat in sauce.
3. Assemble kabobs: put chicken and veggies on metal or wooden skewers, alternating ingredients (ex: chicken, bell pepper, onion, chicken, zucchini, etc).
4. Heat grill to high. Place kabobs on hot grill and cook for 12 minutes with lid closed, turning every 5 minutes and brushing with any extra sauce.
5. When juices run clear and chicken is cooked through, remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

This recipe is inspired by my dad. Hi Dad! 

Earlier this year we went on a climbing trip and my dad actually packed the entire list of ingredients for this recipe, along with his camping gear, and cooked it up on his wobbly camping stove.

I wanted to share this recipe today since it's Father's Day this weekend (plus, I've been working on a Tagine recipe for a while and it wasn't until I tasted his version again that I remembered exactly how I like it: full of veggies and spices). 

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Dutch Oven Chicken & Apricot Tagine

Published June 18, 2015 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4-6   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

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Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 pound bone-in chicken thighs

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 onion, sliced

Salt for seasoning

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 bell pepper, diced

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

1 pint cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup dried apricots or figs, cut in half or quarters (if using figs, remove the stems)

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch of saffron threads

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. While oven heats, melt coconut oil in the bottom of an oven-safe dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove. When oil glistens, place chicken thighs, skin-side down, in pan. Cook, without moving, for 3-5 minutes. Using tongs or a wooden spatula, flip chicken, and cook for another 3 minutes on the second side. Chicken should be golden and browned on the outside, but not yet cooked through. Set chicken on a plate and set aside.
3. Add garlic, ginger, and onion to pan. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.
4. Pour broth into pot. Loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot using a wooden spatula. Add chickpeas, bell pepper, carrots, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, apricots or figs, and spices. Add a generous pinch of salt. Stir.
5. Place chicken thighs, skin side up, in the pot over the vegetables. Place lid on pot, and continue to cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the middle of a chicken thigh. Remove lid from pot, and switch oven to low broil for 3-5 minutes, just until the top of the chicken begins to sizzle and turn brown. Remove pot from oven.
6. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, and garnish with cilantro and parsley. Serve over rice.