PREP: 25 minutes BAKE: 40 minutes at 425°F COOK: 30 minutes COOL: 30 minutes MAKES: 4¾ cups
3½ to 4 lb. orange-flesh sweet potatoes
1½ cups packed brown sugar
⅔ cup apple juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Scrub sweet potatoes thoroughly with a brush; pat dry. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork. Bake 40 to 60 minutes or until tender; cool slightly. Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, discarding skins. Transfer potato pulp to a food processor. Cover and process until very smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Measure 4 cups sweet potato puree (save the remaining puree for another use).
2. In a 5-qt. heavy pot (tip, page 228) combine the 4 cups sweet potato puree and the remaining six ingredients. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring frequently (if mixture spatters, reduce heat further).
3. Ladle sweet potato butter into half-pint freezer containers, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Cool 30 minutes. Seal and label containers.
4. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze up to 6 months. (Freezing tips, page 467.)
Test Kitchen Tip: Sweet potatoes are tubers commonly available in two varieties: one with light skin and pale flesh, and the other with reddish skin and vibrant orange flesh. Yams are tubers native to Asia and Africa. The “yams” at the grocery store are most likely orange-flesh sweet potatoes, which are often mislabeled in the United States. For this recipe, look for small to medium orange-flesh sweet potatoes.
PER 2 TBSP. SWEET POTATO BUTTER: 62 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 27 mg sodium, 15 g carb., 1 g fiber, 0 g pro.