Chipotle Gouda Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or grease with butter or oil. Place sliced sweet potatoes in three tight slanted rows as indicated in the photos. You don’t want them to be overly tight, make sure you leave enough space so the sweet potato slices are slightly slanted.

Next make your sauce: add in 2 tablespoons of butter and place over medium heat. Once butter melts, whisk in half of the flour and cook for 10-20 seconds until a paste forms, then very slowly add 2 cups of the milk, while you add the rest of the flour and continue to whisk away any lumps. You’ll need to whisk pretty vigorously but it should smooth out easily. Once smooth, bring mixture to a low simmer for 5-10 minutes stirring every so often until sauce thickens up a bit, similar to a gravy. If it gets too thick, add in a few tablespoons more milk. Once thick, turn off the heat and stir in 1 cup shredded gouda cheese, garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the can of chipotle chiles. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper to taste. After tasting the sauce, you can decide if you want to kick it up a notch and add in a tablespoon more of the chipotle sauce. I definitely recommend it!

Pour the sauce evenly over the sweet potatoes to cover them. Don’t worry, the sauce will get nice and creamy while baking. Cover the pan with foil, then bake for 45 minutes-1 hour. The sweet potatoes are done when the middle sweet potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. Once they are done baking, remove the foil, sprinkle ½ cup gouda cheese on top, then turn on the broiler in your oven and broil for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is nice and melted and slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!