- 8 oz Red Table pancetta sliced thinly (1/8 inch)
- 1 large yellow onion sliced paper thin on a mandolin
- 7 large sweet potatoes peeled, sliced thinly on a mandolin
- 1qt heavy cream
- 2 Tblspoons butter
- ¾ Grazier’s Edge cheese
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ lb dried figs
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig savory or
- 2 sage leaves
- 1 clove garlic
First steep the cream with the herbs and half the clove of garlic. Just warm it gently to infuse the flavors and let cool.
In a medium sized baking pan, take the other half clove of garlic and rub the whole pan down. Then smear the butter all over the inside surface of the pan. Lay down alternating layers of sweet potato and onion, salting each layer, until you are halfway through with the sweet potato and onion.
For the figs, cut them in half and lay them face down between two sheets of parchment paper. Gently but firmly flatten the figs out till they are a thin layer.
At this point layer the rolled out figs on the mid-way point of layers of sweet potato and onion. Then cover with the remaining layers of sweet potato and onion. Pour the cream over the whole gratin slowly straining out the herbs and garlic. The cream should just come to the top layer of potato. Top the grating with the cheese, then thin slices of pancetta.
Cook in a 350 oven covered with foil on a baking sheet (to catch any cream that spills over) for 2-3 hours until the potato layers pierce easily with a knife. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the pancetta and cheese brown.
Cool for 30 minutes to let set up and slice and serve. This will also keep well if made in advance. If you do it that way, don’t remove the foil to brown. Simple cool, cut in squares, reheat in a 400 oven in a pan with a bit of stock or water in it.