How Sweet It Is Sweet Potato Lasagne
By: Shelly Huang
Published: Friday, December 4, 2009 - 3:21pm

Ingredients




4 Sweet Potatoes
1 Eggplants
10 ounces Frozen chopped Spinach, with excess water squeezed out
12 Baby Portabella Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Half & Half or Heavy Cream
12 ounces Montery Jack & Cheddar Cheese Mix
2 Jalapenos, finely chopped
3 cups Marinara Sauce (home made or a jar of 24 oz store bought)
3 tablespoons Dry Curry Powder
2 tablespoons Dried Basil Leaves
2 cups Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Canola or Vegetable Cooking Oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Preparation

1 Slice the Sweet Potato into 1/4 inch thick slices. Boil until semi-cooked (about 10 min). Rub the slices with a dry curry powder & olive oil (1cup) mixture. Set aside and let marinate for at least 10 min. 2 Slice Eggplants into 1/4 inch thick slices and rub all over with an olive oil (1 cup)/dried basil/salt & pepper mix. Set aside and let marinate for at least 15 min. 3 Pour canola or vegetable cooking oil into a pan. Saute spinach and mushrooms for about 3-5 min, add in jalapenos and salt & pepper to taste. 4 Turn the heat down and add in some heavy cream and about 1/2 of the mexican cheeses until mixture is creamy, but not watery. 5 Start layering the lasagne in this order: Sweet Potatoes, Spinach/Mushroom Mix, Eggplants, Marinara Sauce, Sweet Potatoes, Spinach/Mushrom Mix, Eggplants, Then finally sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack/Cheddar Cheese Blend on top. 6 Bake at 350-375 for about 35-45 min, depending on how your oven works. You'll know it's ready when you can pass through a fork easily through all the layers. 7 Devour with Passion

About


When I was a child, I loved to listen to my grandmother tell me magical stories of historical Taiwan.  As she cooked my favorite breakfast meal – sweet potato congee - she would recall the days during the Japanese Occupation, when food was scarce and they had to survive on a diet of sweet potatoes and rice.  Though times were tough, the picture she conjured was full of warmth, families roasting these orange wonders by the bonfire while children ran around chasing fireflies.  While the sweet potato congee simmered, she would make the little side dishes to complete that heavenly breakfast – sauteed spinach with black mushrooms, asian eggplant with basil, and egg omelette with soy sauce, brown sugar, and pickled radish.
With the craziness of work and life, I haven’t been able to see my grandparents in almost 2 years and I miss them dearly. So I made this sweet potato dish in my moment of nostalgia, taking inspiration from all the yummy Taiwanese dishes that nourished my little tummy, but putting a westernized spin by layering it into a sweet potato lasagne, and infusing with culturally diverse flavors. 
The eggplant was marinated in a blend of olive oil and Italian herbs, the spinach and portabello mushrooms tossed with heavy cream and  Mexican cheeses, and the sweet potatoes dipped in dry curry powder.  You may think with the mish-mosh of herbs and flavors that it’s a crazy dish, but trust me, it works perfectly! The result is a burst of complementary flavors that tastes as familiar as my grandma’s love, but with an exotic twist that ventures into a new territories.  I just wish I could cook this for her someday soon!

Comments:
Sanjana Modha

5 Stars for sure Shelly! Love it!
Oliver Taylor-G...

I live in Spain where it's impossible to get Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese. What other cheeses would you suggest I use?
Can't wait to try this dish.
Gloria Ruddle

I haven't tried this yet. Sounds yummy. The only thing that troubles me is the 2 cups of olive oil. Is that correct? Does it make The lasagna all dripping with oil when it comes out of the oven?
Trying to watch my fat content because I have gastroparesis.