

Sweet Potato Crunch Gratins. Recipe, below. (Renee Comet/For The Washington Post)

Comfort food cravings can sabotage a resolution to eat better in the new year, but here’s a worthy prescription: a gratin made without cheese or cream or buttery bread crumbs. What seems like a pile of seasoned sweet potato and parsnip matchsticks in each shallow baking dish will cook down nicely.

A topping of crushed kale chips delivers the texture counterpoint. We used store-bought chips; if you make your own, toss them with nutritional yeast before they hit the oven to lend this dish maximum flavor.

Sweet Potato Crunch Gratins

2 servings

MAKE AHEAD The gratins, without the kale topping, can be cooked, cooled, covered and refrigerated up to 2 days in advance. Reheat, covered, in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.

Serve with a salad of peppery greens.

Ingredients

Two 8-to-10-ounce sweet potatoes

1 or 2 medium parsnips

1½ tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon chili powder

Kosher or sea salt

½ cup low-fat coconut milk (well shaken)

¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)

⅓ cup fried shallots or crispy fried onions

⅔ cup canned, no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

Crushed store-bought kale chips, for serving

Steps

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place two individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet.

Peel and trim the sweet potato and parsnips, then cut them into matchsticks (different lengths are okay, as is heaping them together). Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat on the cutting board, then divide evenly between the gratin dishes. Season them with half the chili powder and a good pinch of salt. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or just until the vegetables have cooked down a bit and their edges are beginning to brown. Remove from the oven; keep the oven on.

Whisk together the coconut milk, the remaining chili powder and the lime juice in a liquid measuring cup, then pour over each gratin portion. Stir in the fried shallots or crispy onions, then scatter the black beans on top. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until the beans have warmed through and the gratins are bubbling.

Sprinkle the kale chips on top. Serve hot.

NUTRITIONAL ANALYSIS Per serving | 500 calories, 9 g protein, 75 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 280 mg sodium 15 g dietary fiber, 15 g sugar

Tested by Bonnie S. Benwick; email questions to food@washpost.com

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