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1
Pre heat the oven to 190 degrees C. Place a large frying pan on a medium heat and add half the butter and 1 tbsp of the olive oil
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2
Once the butter has melted, add the sliced onion, garlic and thyme and allow to cook and caramelise for about 15 minutes.
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3
You want the onions to be very soft and sweet.
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4
Make sure you move them around in the pan from time to time so they don't burn.
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5
Season with salt and pepper
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6
Peel the sweet potatoes and sliced them as thinly as you can, using a mandolin if you have one
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7
Finally, put the stale bread and cooked pancetta into a food processor and blitz with 2 tbsp of olive oil until you have fine bread crumbs.
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8
Season with black pepper and mix well
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9
To assemble the dish, take a 20cm baking dish and grease the inside with butter.
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10
Place a layer of the sweet potatoes in the bottom of the dish before adding a couple of tbsp of the caramelised onions and a layer of grated French goat's cheese.
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11
Repeat this process twice more, pressing down in between each layer
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12
Pour over the chicken stock, cover with grease-proof paper and place in the oven for 20 minutes
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13
Once the gratin has started to bubble slightly, remove from the oven and discard the paper.
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14
Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the bacon and bake for a further 25 mins until golden brown and bubbly
