Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Apple Chutney

It seems that this weekend everyone in the food blogosphere had the same idea: hasselback sweet potatoes.  You know this is true when it comes up in a Buzzfeed post.   Well I can't blame everyone, seeing that fall is sort of upon us.  This recipe is fall flavor bomb with cranberries, walnuts, apples, maple syrup, and cinnamon.  

My motivation, which you'll trust was initially conjured up in my own mind, was in search of something to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.  In other words, a ridiculously sweet dish that features apples and honey, but still manages to use onions and garlic as base flavors.  Seeing that I'm not a big fan of tzimmis, the traditional vegetable dish that satisfies these requirements, I went looking for an alternative.  I wound up combining two ideas - one for an apple chutney and the other for hasselback sweet potatoes (thanks to Tea & Cake and My Recession Kitchen for the help).  I tried to keep it as healthy as possible, using no refined sugars and just a touch of butter (but you could eliminate that completely if you wanted to use oil and keep it vegan).  Of course, you could just make the apple chutney recipe below and use it for a slew of other recipes besides these sweet potatoes. 

Whether you're celebrating Rosh Hashanah this week or not, I hope the change of season brings you "sweet new year."  These hasselbacks should help.

Apple Chutney Ingredients (makes about 3 cups):

• 3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
• 1/2 yellow onion, large dice
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp. freshly ground ginger
• 1/4 cup cooked beets, large dice (you can use canned)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup all-natural maple syrup
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 tsp. ground mustard seed
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 8 whole coriander seeds 

Hasselback Potatoes:

• 4 medium (or 3 large) sweet potatoes
• 1 cup apple chutney
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced (I used red delicious)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. all-natural maple syrup
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

First, make your chutney:
In a pot over medium-high heat, sweat the onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, and mustard in the butter.  Season with salt.
Meanwhile, prep your apples.  

When the onions are soft, browned, and becoming pasty, add the apples, beets, honey, syrup, cider, and cayenne.  Allow to simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until it has become the consistency of chutney (more or less jam).    Add the cranberries just for the last fifteen minutes. 

Jar and keep refrigerated.

Now, for the hasselbacks:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel your potatoes 3/4 of the way, leaving skin on the bottoms that will make contact with the pan.  Slice them as thinly as possible, about ninety percent through to get the "hasselback" effect.  Coat with 1 tbsp. olive oil.
In a small bowl, mix the diced apple, chutney, 1 tbsp. olive oil, maple syrup, cinnamon, and walnuts.
Place the potatoes on a aluminum foil-lined baking pan.  Get as much of the apple filling between the slices of potato as possible, and use the remainder as a topping.

Bake covered with aluminum foil for about 40 minutes, and uncover for an additional 15 minutes to crisp up the topping.