photo by Thomas J. Story

Serves 8-10

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
1 small garlic clove, minced
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 275° and brush a large baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream, honey and garlic and bring just to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the goat cheese and season generously with salt and pepper.

Line the bottom of the baking dish with a slightly overlapping layer of sweet potatoes. Top with 1/4 cup of the goat cheese cream and spread evenly. Repeat the layering with the remaining sweet potatoes and cream, pouring any excess cream on top; you should have about 5 layers.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter and scatter over the sweet potatoes. Cover the casserole with a sheet of buttered foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake for 1 hour longer, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the top is golden. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.