I made this sweet potato side dish for a class I taught in Guatemala to a dozen youth group kids. They were skeptical (to say the least) about the chile powder, at first, but embraced it wholeheartedly after I dubbed them “food adventurers.”
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These sweet potato wedges have a spicy foil to their sweetness. They’re reminiscent of sweet potato fries, but a whole lot healthier. Look for the dark-skinned sweet potatoes with bright orange flesh (also, erroneously, called garnet yams).
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Strangely enough, peanuts and sweet potatoes make a great pair. Between the warm fall hues of this sweet potato soup and the crisp, bright flavors of the Fennel-Apple Salad accompanying it (get the recipe in the Nourish Weekly Menus archive), this meal is truly a feast for the senses.
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You can bake these savory little sweet potato bread pudding muffins a few days before Thanksgiving; cool and refrigerate. Reheat them in a low oven while the turkey rests. You also can cook this in a 2-quart baking dish instead of a muffin pan, if you prefer.
1 pound sweet potatoes
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) day-old multigrain baguette, cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) bunch kale, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
Nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast 30 minutes or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
While sweet potatoes roast, bring milk to a boil. Combine egg yolks, whole eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add half of hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Whisk in remaining hot milk into egg mixture.
Cut roasted sweet potatoes in half, and scoop flesh into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup milk mixture and process until pureed. Whisk pureed sweet potato mixture into milk mixture in bowl. Stir in cubed bread. Set aside, stirring occasionally.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and another pinch of salt; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in kale and water. Cover and cook 3 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir kale mixture into bread mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Divide evenly among 16 (1/2-cup) muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until pudding is puffy, set, and lightly browned. Serve warm.
Serves 16
This is an incredibly versatile side dish that shows just how delicious healthy can be. Serve this sweet potato with a Thanksgiving turkey or a simple roast chicken. Or top it with a mushroom sauté for a meatless feast any night.
4 pounds garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a boil and drop in potatoes. Return to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for 12-15 minutes, until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain in a colander and transfer half of the potatoes to a food processor.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and sauté shallots for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown (be careful—they go quickly from golden to burnt in the last minute or so). Transfer to a paper towel. Set aside 2 tablespoons shallots.
Add 2 tablespoons butter, milk, honey and soy sauce to the food processor with the sweet potatoes and puree for 30 seconds, until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Combine the two batches of puree, season with salt and pepper and stir in all but the reserved 2 tablespoons of the shallots.
Scrape into a serving bowl and top with reserved shallots.
Serves 12
