Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

For our family, Thanksgiving dinner must include sweet potatoes.  Sadly my earliest introduction to this wonderful yam was a concoction of canned sweet potatoes tossed in a casserole with brown sugar, pecans and marshmallows.  And I absolutely adored it.

It wasn't until college that I tried sweet potato in its simple. roasted form.  I was in love with the mellow sweetness of the tuber from that point on.

I may love mashed sweet potatoes more than regular mashed potatoes.  Blasphemy.  I know...

Our Thanksgiving dinner was dotted with apples throughout, and this side dish is no exception.  The blend of savory and subtle sweet paired perfectly with the apple pecan stuffing.  And because the side wasn't overly sweet, we were well prepared for the wonderful praline pumpkin pie my mom had brought up with her.

adapted from Fitness Magazine

serves 6

The Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch rings
2 Tbsp maple syrup

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 350. Place the sweet potatoes on a piece of aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Trim the ends and pull off the peels; slice into 1/2-inch rounds.

Butter a 9x9 inch baking dish with half of the butter.  In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, ginger and allspice. Arrange one third of the apple rings in the bottom of the casserole and layer half oft eh sweet potatoes on top.  Sprinkle with half the spice mixture and half the maple syrup. Repeat the layers, sprinkling with remaining spice and syrup.  Layer the last third of the apples on top.  Dot with the remaining butter.

 Cover and bake until the apples are tender, about 45 minutes.