Orange & Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potato Casserole
As a kid I never liked sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving. I was a textural eater, so the idea of anything “mushy” really bothered me. To this day, I have trouble eating food that has a mashed, dense texture—like bananas! Well, being a kid, I thought I just didn’t like sweet potatoes until I had them as an adult in other preparations. Fast forward to today, I can’t imagine a holiday table without some sort of sweet potato dish. This one especially is a favorite of mine because it has texture and some tangy sweetness from the orange. There’s also no added sugar, so the natural deliciousness of the sweet potato shines. I hope you enjoy!
PS: If you’ve ever wanted to grow your own sweet potatoes, check out my article on Growing, Harvesting, and Curing Homegrown Sweet Potatoes!
Ingredients
Fills one 9.5″ tart dish
3 lbs. Sweet potatoes (about 3-4 sweet potatoes) *try and select sweet potatoes that are about the same girth and size to help them cook more evenly.
1/2 stick salted butter
2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp Dried rosemary, ground * I use a mortar and pestle. You could also crush it.
2-3 Oranges, they lighten and brighten the flavor
Ground cinnamon for sprinkling over before baking.
Method
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees F
Prep your sweet potatoes. Wash, chop off the pointed ends and peel (we use a vegetable peeler).
Carefully slice your sweet potatoes thinly (if your slices are too thick the dish will take longer to cook). Now, I hand chopped all mine, but this could also be done with a mandolin. I make my slices approximately 1/8-1/4″ wide.
It’s time to prep your oranges. Supreme your oranges and reserve the segments for layering into your casserole dish, but also save the remaining core for later. We will be squeezing some juice over the whole casserole. *If you don’t know how to supreme an orange, watch this cool video from Le Cordon Bleu HERE.
In a microwave safe bowl, melt your butter in the microwave (start with 15 seconds, and keep going until the butter is completely melted).
Add your 2 Tbs olive oil to the butter, along with your dried rosemary. Stir gently.
Assembly
To assemble your casserole, take 3 Tbs of your butter/oil mixture and spread on the bottom of a 9.5″ oven-safe tart dish. We use a basting brush to spread.
Start layering your sweet potato slices. Don’t worry too much about the design because it ends up looking pretty and rustic no matter what 😉
I do find it easier to grab a stack of 5-8 slices at a time to layer into the dish. Start by lining the outside of the tart dish, spiraling around into the middle of the dish.
Once finished with the sweet potatoes, take your orange segments and tuck them in various spaces between sweet potato slices. I like to distribute them as evenly as possible around the dish.
Squeeze some (not all, depending on how juicy your oranges were) leftover orange core/pulp juice over the whole dish.
Using a basting brush, spread the rest of the butter mixture over all the sweet potatoes. Once everything has been brushed thoroughly, pour the rest of the mixture over the casserole.
Sprinkle cinnamon lightly (careful not to overdo it!) over the dish.
Add some fresh sprigs of rosemary if desired for looks 😉
Cooking
Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. The potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork.
Uncover the casserole in the last 10-15 minutes and continue cooking until the top has crisped slightly, or until it looks done to you.
PS: this tart pan was given to me one year for Christmas and I use it all the time. It makes presentation a breeze for so many dishes. If you are looking for a well-made, versatile tart pan, this is the one we have.
Other articles you might find interesting:
Growing & Curing Homegrown Sweet Potatoes
10 Gifts for Gardeners Who Love to Cook
Enjoy! Leave me a comment below if you try this recipe. I’d love to hear from you!
PS: Have you tried this recipe? Use my hashtag #FreckledCA on Instagram so I can see your results!
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