Sweet Potato Gratin

I was going through my recipes I had cut out from magazines and organizing them.  I came across a really cool looking side dish.  It had sweet potatoes and russet potatoes!  The colors looked great when they were layered every other.  The recipe below makes 8 servings.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped pecan halves (I left these out)
4 garlic cloves, minced and divided
cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 lbs peeled russet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/4 cup half-and-half
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425F.  Heat oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add breadcrumbs, pecans, and half of garlic.  Cook mixture until crumbs are golden (about 5 minutes) stirring well.  Remove from heat and set aside.
2.  Coat an 8 x 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray; arrange potato slices in dish, alternating between sweet and russet.  Combine half and half and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir in remaining half of garlic; whisk well. Pour half and half mixture over potatoes in dish.  Cover dish tightly with foil; bake in middle of oven 45 minutes to 1 hour or until potatoes are tender.
3.  Remove foil; discard.  Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over potatoes; return to oven.  Bake until crumbs are crispy, liquid is bubbling and reduced, and potatoes are tender (about 8 minutes).  Let stand at least 15 minutes; serve.

Jason and Beth's Rating: 8/10

Nutrition:
320 calories
7g fat (3g saturated)
20mg cholesterol
700mg sodium
63g carbohydrates
9g fiber
21g sugar
10g protein