tangy bbq sauce

Makes 2 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes

• 2 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves roasted garlic (see tip)
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• ½ cup apple cider
• 1 can (3 ounces) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon chipotle powder

If you roast an entire head of garlic at once, you’ll have leftovers to use in other recipes. Remove the skin from the leftover roasted cloves and place the garlic in an airtight container. Pour in enough extra-virgin olive oil to cover the cloves completely, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. No need to reheat the cloves before adding them to a recipe—just toss them into the pot or pan cold and let them reheat with your dish.

Heat the ghee in a medium skillet over medium heat. When the ghee is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown and caramelize, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the roasted garlic, sweet potato, and apple cider in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to just barely cover the sweet potatoes—do not over-cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sweet potato is fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid from the pan.

Combine the sautéed onion and sweet potato mixture in a food processor or blender. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, paprika, salt, and chipotle powder. Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid and blend on low to medium speed. If the mixture is still too thick, add more liquid, ¼ cup at a time, while blending until you arrive at the desired consistency. (The sauce should pour like ketchup.)

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days.

✪Roasted Garlic You could use raw garlic here, but you’ll miss out on the sweeter, more mellow flavor of garlic when it’s roasted. To roast garlic in the oven, preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel the loose outer skin from a large head of garlic and wrap in foil, closing off the top. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, until the bulb is lightly browned at the top and feels soft when you squeeze it. Remove the garlic bulb from the foil carefully, and set aside until it’s cool to the touch. Peel each clove of garlic carefully, using the sharp tip of a paring knife to break open each individual clove—it may be easier to squeeze the garlic out.