Sweet Potato and Roasted Garlic Casserole

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Sweet Potato and Roasted Garlic Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bulb of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 russet potato
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and Naughty Nelly's Deadly Twelve Pepper Blend or a few cranks of the peppermill, to taste
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the top off the pointy end of your garlic bulb revealing the tips of the cloves. Set the bulb exposed side up in the center of a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Fold up the sides of the foil and place in the oven on a small sheet pan for about 40 minutes or until the cloves are soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to the touch. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F.

IMPORTANT: You will use the oil in the foil later, so do not discard.

While the garlic is roasting, scrub and peel the potatoes and cut them into uniform size pieces. Place them and the salt in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender and ready for mashing. Drain and return them to the pot and the stove for two minutes on low heat to cook out any excess moisture. Put them into a large bowl.

Remove the garlic cloves from the bulb and squeeze the garlic into the bowl of cooked potatoes and mash to your liking. We like these to have some texture, so we do not use a ricer. Add the butter and parsley and incorporate. Season and taste.

Grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish with the oil from the roasted garlic and pour the potato mixture inside. Top with the cheese and bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.

CHEFS NOTE: You can serve this dish in personal single serving portions by using 4 ounce ceramic ramekins. Just spoon the mixture into lightly grease ramekins and top with the cheese. Cooking time will be decreased by about 12-15 minutes.

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