Sweet Potato and Peanut Gratin | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

If you would like the full recipe, as per Hugh from his book River Cottage Veg Everyday, click here to see it in The Guardian.

This is my version, which does the two of us and cuts down on some of the dairy calories by replacing the double cream with creme fraiche and semi-skilled milk *grin*

500g of sweet potatoes (two, good-sized ones)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1/2 teaspoon of chilli (from a jar)
1 teaspoon of garlic (also from a jar.  I'm not domesticated.  I'm not apologising)
200g creme fraiche (half fat)
200g semi skimmed milk (ish)
3 good-sized dessert-spoon dollops of crunchy peanut butter
Finely grated zest of half a lime
1 teaspoon of lime juice*
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven 190C or Gas Mark 5.  Lightly oil your gratin dish.  Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into fairly thin slices (Hugh suggests 10p piece thickness).  In a large bowl, mix the creme fraiche, half of the milk, 1 tablespoon of the oil the chilli and the garlic together with some salt and pepper. Then add the sweet potato slices; get them covered in the mixture. I did it in two batches because my bowl was quite small. Add the rest of the milk as you require it.

Arrange half of the coated slices in the bottom of your gratin dish.

Beat the peanut butter with the remaining oil (1 tablespoon-ish) and add the lime zest and juice.  Then drop it in dollops onto the sweet potato in the gratin dish.  I tried to smoosh it about evenly with the back of a spoon, but it all melts in the oven anyway, so don't worry too much.

Cover the peanut buttery dollops with the other batch of sweet potato slices and pour over what's left of the cream/chilli/milk mix.  I like quite a lot of milky stuff. Then cover the dish with silver foil.  Slam into the oven for 20 minutes and then remove the silver foil.  Pop it back in uncovered for another 20-30 minutes (you want it all lovely and soft, so keep checking it)

We've also added extra protein by grating some cheddar over the top towards the end of the time in the oven.

Serve with a salad.

Bluddy luffly!

*Sonshine says that I might want to dial down the lime next time, so maybe half a teaspoon would be sufficient for our needs.

There is a lot of liquid in my version because I like everything to be soft and unctuous, not so keen on a crispy top

There should have been photos.  But I forgot.  Better luck next time!