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The Star Ingredients Of This Comforting Gratin

This gratin reinvents the codes of the traditional winter dish by relying on a bold alliance: 4 medium sweet potatoes meet 250g of creamy ricotta. Exit the classic Gruyère, make way for a lighter version that remains no less gourmet. Cirio passata brings its Italian authenticity, while Mediterranean herbs – dried thyme, garlic, onion, and fresh parsley – compose a balanced aromatic score.

The nutritional interest is hidden in the details: sweet potatoes offer a richness in beta-carotene and fiber, ricotta brings its protein without weighing it down, and olive oil completes the picture with its unsaturated fatty acids. A spoonful of sugar and a bottle of passata are enough to create the sauce that will bind everything together.

This accessible list of ingredients proves that a comforting dish requires neither rare products nor a large budget. Four people can enjoy these simple components, available in any supermarket. But to transform these raw elements into a melting gratin, everything rests on the preparation of a perfectly balanced tomato sauce.

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The Preparation Of The Homemade Tomato Sauce

This sauce constitutes the aromatic backbone of the gratin. In a heated saucepan, a tablespoon of olive oil welcomes the finely chopped onion and crushed garlic. A few minutes of cooking are enough to reveal their aromas without burning them.

Then comes the decisive moment: the incorporation of the Cirio passata, accompanied by a tablespoon of sugar. This technical detail makes all the difference. The sugar neutralizes the natural acidity of the tomato, transforming a potentially harsh sauce into a velvety and round base in the mouth. Dried thyme, salt, and pepper complete the seasoning.

The simmering phase lasts precisely 20 minutes. This time allows the flavors to merge and the sauce to reduce slightly, concentrating its intensity. No rushing: the moderate temperature preserves the freshness of the aromatics while developing a remarkable depth of flavor.

This sauce, prepared methodically, will not only serve as a topping. It will permeate each sweet potato slice during cooking, creating an osmosis between the ingredients. The strategic assembly that follows will fully exploit this aromatic potential.

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The Strategic Layered Assembly

Before any handling, the sweet potatoes require a precise cut. Carefully peeled, they are sliced into uniformly thick rounds – about 5 millimeters – guaranteeing perfectly even cooking. An irregular thickness would create areas that are overcooked or insufficiently tender.

At the same time, the ricotta undergoes a subtle transformation. Mixed with freshly chopped parsley, the rest of the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a few turns of the pepper mill, it becomes a component in its own right. This flavored preparation contrasts with the natural sweetness of the cheese.

The assembly follows a mathematical logic. In the ovenproof dish, three-quarters of the tomato sauce generously coats the bottom. This abundant liquid base will create the moist environment essential for cooking the tubers. The sweet potato rounds are layered on top in slightly overlapping strata, maximizing contact with the sauce. The remaining quarter of the sauce then uniformly covers the vegetables.

The seasoned ricotta crowns the structure. Dropped by spaced spoonfuls or spread according to preference, it will form a golden gratin layer during cooking. This precise distribution – majority sauce at the base, minority on the surface – will transform the dish into a melting showcase where each element retains its identity while merging harmoniously.

 

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Oven Cooking For A Melting Result

The oven must reach precisely 180°C before receiving the dish. This moderate temperature, neither excessive nor timid, allows for deep cooking without attacking the delicate ingredients. An insufficiently preheated oven would lengthen the cooking time and dry out the surface.

Placing it in the oven marks the beginning of a full hour-long transformation. During this time, the heat gradually penetrates the sweet potato rounds, transforming their firm flesh into a melting texture. The tomato sauce simmers gently, concentrating its aromas while the ricotta develops a golden crust punctuated with amber nuances.

This duration is non-negotiable. Forty-five minutes would leave the tubers too firm at the core. Beyond seventy minutes, the ricotta would brown excessively. One hour represents the optimal balance: fork-tender sweet potatoes, perfectly gratinated cheese, perfectly reduced sauce.

The total time mobilized reaches one hour and twenty minutes – twenty minutes of active preparation, sixty of passive cooking. For four guests, this gratin offers a comforting generosity where the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes dialogues with the creaminess of the ricotta and the controlled acidity of the tomato. Patience becomes the final ingredient of this Mediterranean success, where every minute counts to reveal melting textures and fully blossomed flavors.