Sweet and buttery sweet potatoes pair perfectly with tart green apples and chopped pecans in this easy-to-throw-together skillet. The apples and yams bake smothered in a sweet, cinnamon-laden butter sauce and are served with a sourdough and oat crumble on top. Perfect as a side or comforting breakfast dish!
This recipe was inspired by one of my Mom’s classic comfort-food dishes. Sweet Potato Casserole was a staple holiday side dish in my family growing up, and a forever personal favorite of mine. My Mom’s original dish featured canned sweet potatoes in syrup, green apples, chopped pecans, butter and spices, and topped with tiny marshmallows. It was heavenly and definitely my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner! These days she makes it with fresh sweet potatoes, and it’s still a classic served alongside Green Bean Casserole and Turkey on Thanksgiving.
I sought to make a dish with a similar vibe and nostalgia, but something I could serve my kids alongside eggs and bacon at breakfast, and that suited my family’s anti-inflammatory diet. This one-skillet dish is an homage to my favorite comfort food of all time!
This dish comes together quickly, and is made from ingredients I almost always have on hand in autumn. The spice of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg add a warmth that is very welcome on the chilly days leading up to the holidays, and the crumbly topping is the perfect no-fuss way to jazz up this basic skillet dish.
Start by peeling and chopping up your sweet potatoes, dicing them into approximately 1 inch cubes. Try to cut them uniformly so that they cook evenly. While you’re chopping, pre-heat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit, and begin heating your cast iron skillet as well. You can make this recipe in any oven-safe casserole dish, but I prefer cast iron for simplicity’s sake and for its heat retention! Cut your apples into thin slices, and add both the potatoes and the apples to a hot skillet, along with a couple tablespoons of butter. Toss the apples and sweet potatoes with the butter in the hot frying pan until the butter has melted and the mixture is well coated.
Sprinkle the spices and brown sugar (or sucanat) on top of the apple mixture and stir it all up, coating everything evenly. Then top the whole mixture with large dots of the remaining butter and carefully slide the frying pan directly into the oven. Bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.
While the apples and sweet potatoes bake, go ahead and prepare the crumble topping. Mix flour, oats, sugar, a pinch of salt, cold grated butter, and sourdough discard together in a medium bowl. Stir until combined (you may have to use your hands to form it into loose crumbles). Adjust the sourdough discard as needed if the mixture is too dry.
After about 20 minutes the apples and sweet potatoes should be softened so that a fork can easily pierce them, and your whole house should smell heavenly!
At this point you can stir in your pecans. I like to roughly chop whole pecans for this recipe, as I find that the pre-chopped bags of pecans tend to be too small and fall to the bottom instead of mixing in evenly. After the pecans have been stirred in, top the whole skillet off with the crumble mix. Bake an additional 20 minutes, or until the crumble is browned and the juices from the apple mixture have begun to thicken and caramelize slightly. Let the dish cool slightly and enjoy warm!
Sweet Potato & Apple Crumble
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium sweet potatoes or yams
- 2-3 green apples
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar I use Sucanat
- 6 tbsp cold, grated butter I use salted
For the Crumble
- 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour I use Kamut
- 1/3 cup oats old fashioned or quick are fine
- 1 tbsp brown sugar I use Sucanat
- 2 tbsp cold, grated butter I use salted
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup sourdough discard straight from the fridge is fine!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
- Peel and chop your sweet potatoes, dicing them into approximately 1 inch cubes. Try to cut them uniformly so that they cook evenly.
- Cut your apples into thin slices, and add both the potatoes and the apples to a hot cast iron skillet, along with a couple tablespoons of butter.
- Toss the apples and sweet potatoes with the butter in the hot frying pan until the butter has melted and the mixture is well coated.
- Sprinkle the spices and brown sugar (or Sucanat) on top of the apple mixture and stir it all up, coating everything evenly. Top the whole mixture with large dots of the remaining butter and carefully slide the frying pan directly into the oven.
- Bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 20-25 minutes.
- While the apples and sweet potatoes bake, begin preparing the crumble topping. Mix flour, oats, sugar, a pinch of salt, cold grated butter, and sourdough discard together in a medium bowl. Stir with a dough hook until combined. You may have to use your hands to form it into loose crumbles. Add extra sourdough discard as needed if the mixture is too dry.
- After about 20 minutes the apples and sweet potatoes should be softened so that a fork can easily pierce them.
- Roughly chop the pecans and stir them into the apples and sweet potatoes, then top the whole skillet off with the crumble mix.
- Bake an additional 20 minutes, or until the crumble is browned and the juices from the apple mixture have begun to thicken and caramelize slightly. Let the dish cool slightly and enjoy!
