Sweet Potato Apple Gratin

Serves: 8
3 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apple
1 teaspoon lemon juice
cooking spray
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 cups small sweet potatoes (not fingerlings), peeled and thinly sliced
¼ cup Panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. ​Combine apples and lemon juice in a large bowl and toss gently.
3. Coat a 13 X 9 inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
4. In a small bowl, mix the syrup, butter, salt and pepper together. An emulsifier is great for this job, but a brisk fork is just fine.
5. Alternate and overlap the potatoes and apples slices in the baking dish.
6. Drizzle the syrup mixture over the top of the dish and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices.
7. A few minutes before the 30minutes is complete, mix the panko crumbs with the nutmeg and olive oil.
8. Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the sweet potatoes and apples with the panko crumbs.
9. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.