VINTAGE CLASSICS AND FRESH, MODERN TWISTS
I hope these recipes illustrate the versatility of sweet potatoes and convince you that they deserve more than a seasonal tribute on the Thanksgiving table. I have made every effort to include a variety of recipes that place equal value on tradition, technique, and novelty. Traditional recipes are often shunned because our opinions of them are based on uninspired institutional adaptations. I seek to rectify those misconceptions with stunning versions of sweet potato casserole, candied sweet potatoes, and sweet potato pone. At the same time, I offer fresh and exciting new sides to eat your way through as well.
The most exquisite sweet potatoes I have ever eaten were served to me by an Israeli-born, New Orleans–residing, Philadelphia-raised chef at breakfast on the final day of the 2011 Southern Foodways Alliance symposium in Oxford, Mississippi. Ash-baked sweet potatoes were common fare in the hearth cooking of yesteryear, but these were the first I had ever tasted. They are a signature dish of Alon Shaya, who regularly roasts heirloom sweet potatoes in the embers and ashes of his pecan wood–fired pizza oven at New Orleans’s Domenica and serves them painted with Louisiana cane syrup. Shaya clearly has absorbed the culture of his adopted home because these sweet potatoes are steeped in Louisiana pride. I have attempted to re-create the dish here. No sweet potatoes are more delicious, but consider yourself warned: these are not the sweet potatoes you want to serve at a high society affair. They are beautifully rustic and will stain your fingertips black.
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), unpeeled and scrubbed
Good-sized hardwood fire burned down to ashes in a grill, fireplace, or pizza oven, plus another pile of glowing embers
Long-handled tongs
Brush and/or soft towel to clean the cooked sweet potatoes
Rosemary butter
Pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork. Bury the sweet potatoes in a pile of hot ashes and cover with hot embers. After 30 minutes, remove 1 sweet potato with the tongs and test it. It should be completely soft in the center. You can add additional embers to the top of the pile if the sweet potatoes appear to be cooking too slowly. When completely tender, remove all the sweet potatoes and rub with a soft towel to remove as much ash as possible.
To make the rosemary butter, in a small saucepan melt a stick or two of best-quality salted butter and add a couple of short sprigs of rosemary. Simmer very slowly for about 5 minutes. Remove the rosemary sprigs and spoon the butter over hot, split sweet potatoes. You can also serve the sweet potatoes with warm cane syrup or sorghum molasses, salt, and pepper.
Louisiana Cajuns call their sweet potatoes bon bon du close, or “candy from the field.” One taste of slow-baked, properly cured sweet potatoes, and you will understand why. If you do not have a convenient pile of hot ashes in which to bury your sweet potatoes, oven baking is fine. Traditional orange sweet potatoes will seep sugars that bubble and caramelize on the baking sheet. This is perfection! The caramelized sugars offer a touch of bitterness to balance the sweetness and give incredible depth of flavor to such a simple, honest food. All sweet potatoes, but particularly the drier-fleshed varieties, benefit from starting in a cold oven and baking at a lower temperature. This allows more time for the starch in the sweet potatoes to be converted to sugar, which happens between 135° and 175°. I always bake an ovenful and then stock the freezer with mashed sweet potatoes for use in other recipes down the road. Greasing the skins is certainly not necessary, but if you lightly rub bacon grease on the skins, then dust them with flaky sea salt, I promise you there will be no skins left on your diners’plates. You can serve your spuds simply, or you can get creative with some of the variations offered below.
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), unpeeled and scrubbed
Bacon grease, unsalted butter, or olive oil (optional)
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Unsalted butter or topping of your choice
Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. If desired, rub all over with the fat of your choice and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil in a cold oven and bake at 350° until the flesh has collapsed away from the skins and the sweet potatoes are completely soft, 1–1 1/2 hours depending on the size of the sweet potatoes.
Split and season with butter, salt, and pepper or add the topping of your choice. Alternately, peel and mash the sweet potatoes when cool enough to handle and use in your favorite recipe.
TOP-NOTCH TOPPINGS * Chili-lime butter: Combine 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 split hot chili pepper, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Discard the pepper and drizzle the butter over the sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Sautéed pears, blue or goat cheese, and chopped walnuts: Sauté thinly sliced pears in unsalted butter with a pinch of kosher salt until soft. Spoon over the sweet potatoes and top with cheese crumbles, walnuts, a drizzle of honey, and a pinch of cayenne.
Brown sugar–Dijon butter (inspired by Raleigh, North Carolina, chef Ashley Christensen’s Beasley’s Chicken and Honey): Stir together 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 4 tablespoons soft unsalted butter, and a pinch of kosher salt.
Curry butter: Stir 1 teaspoon fresh, aromatic curry powder into 4 tablespoons soft unsalted butter.
Other good stuff: Sautéed mushrooms, garlicky greens, New Orleans–style barbecued shrimp, chili, or beans.
Mashed sweet potatoes are the beloved first food of many, my son included. In their simplest form, they are added to dozens of recipes in this book and beyond.
Topping mashed sweet potatoes with spiced brown butter turns them from simple to spectacular. The butter provides a warm base note and a pleasant bitterness that balances the sweetness and creates a surprisingly rich and full flavor without a drop of added sugar.
Sweet potatoes are also wonderful mashed with other root vegetables, like rutabagas, which I have included as a variation. Though I love rutabagas straight, many find their turnip-y flavor overwhelming and their watery texture off the mark. Sweet potatoes to the rescue! The sweet potato’s sweetness and creaminess perfectly balance the rough-around-the-edges rutabaga, while the rutabaga points the sweet potato in a decidedly savory direction. My friend Bill Smith tops Crook’s Corner’s mashed rutabagas with garlic butter, and I follow his wisdom here.
I always use either baked or steamed sweet potatoes for mash and include instructions for both methods here. Baking produces the most concentrated flavor and sweetness, while steaming creates a silkier purée and takes less time.
6 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds), unpeeled and scrubbed
1 stick unsalted butter
Small handful of sage leaves or rosemary sprig
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1/2 cup cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the sweet potatoes by steaming or baking. To steam, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into chunks or slices. Steam in a tightly covered pot on a rack over boiling water until completely tender when pierced with a sharp knife, 15–20 minutes. They can also be steamed whole with the peel on. Increase the time accordingly and slip off the skins when cool enough to handle.
To bake, prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil in a cold oven and bake at 350° until the flesh has collapsed away from the skins and the sweet potatoes are completely soft, 1–1 1/2 hours depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. When cool enough to handle, slip off the skins.
To make the brown butter, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Throw in the sage or rosemary and spices. Continue to cook until the butter foams, the foam subsides, and the butter begins to darken. Swirl the pan from time to time to ensure even cooking. When the butter smells toasty and nutty, it is ready. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-meshed sieve.
Warm the cream in a small saucepan. Do not boil.
While still hot, purée the sweet potatoes with the cream in a food processor until smooth. Alternately, press the sweet potatoes through a fine-meshed sieve, process in a food mill, or mash with a potato masher, then whisk in the cream. Mix in all but a tablespoon of the brown butter mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with the remaining butter.
VARIATION * Garlic Butter Sweets and Rutabagas: Replace half the sweet potatoes with peeled and chunked rutabagas (or parsnips) and steam the sweet potatoes and rutabagas. Large and unwieldy rutabagas can be steamed whole until slightly softened before peeling. Mash or purée with the cream. Omit the spiced brown butter and top with unsalted butter that has been simmered with a generous tablespoon of chopped garlic until it is just golden. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Season well with salt and pepper.
OTHER TIPS * Beyond their role as a side dish, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Brown Butter can serve as the base for many other dishes:
— Use as a filling for ravioli.
— Thin with broth for soup.
— Chill and form into balls around marshmallows. Roll in crushed cornflakes and fry at 350° until golden brown. Alternately, brush all over with unsalted butter and bake at 400° until golden brown. Kids love these retro treats.
— Sweeten to taste and beat in a couple of eggs for pie filling or a baked pudding or casserole. You’ll need about 2 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 2 eggs, and 3/4 cups of sugar per pie.
— For a savory pie or tart filling, beat a couple of eggs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano into 2 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes.
The genius of southern food is less in its individual dishes than in the overall composition of the meal. Syrupy sweet potatoes balance earthy field peas and sharp turnip greens shot through with hot pepper vinegar. Crispy cornbread swoops in to sop it all up. Here is a particularly nuanced version of ubiquitous candied sweet potatoes that makes use of that coffee can of bacon grease my grandparents and parents kept above the stove.
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon bacon drippings
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Layer the sweet potatoes in a large cast-iron skillet. Dot with the butter and bacon drippings, and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Pour the water and lemon juice over the sweet potatoes and cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid or foil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender and the sauce is thick, 30–35 minutes more. Baste the sweet potatoes with the syrup from time to time, being careful not to break them up.
Hundreds of versions of this grated sweet potato pudding or pone can be found in historical and community cookbooks. Creole variations often contain a generous shot of black pepper, which I have come to love. Well-heeled versions might call for orange blossom or rose water. With equal depth and breadth, sweet potato pone is the sixth man of traditional southern cuisine. It is often served as a side dish to pork or game but is also right at home with afternoon coffee or as a simple dessert. According to the late champion of southern foodways and culture Eugene Walter, some even consider it an ideal breakfast with ice-cold buttermilk and hot black coffee spiked with cognac. The elemental flavors of old-fashioned pones appeal to young eaters as well, so much so in the case of my two-year-old son that he has earned the nickname Tater Pone.
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sorghum molasses
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2–1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
3 1/2 cups peeled and grated sweet potatoes
Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet. Pour the butter into a large bowl and whisk in all ingredients except the sweet potatoes until well combined. Fold in the grated sweet potatoes and pour the mixture back into the skillet.
Bake for about 1 hour, until well browned around the edges and on top. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
Holiday dinner planning often begins with this question: how are we topping the sweet potato casserole? It is a pretty heated debate, with folks offering to make the dish just so they can get their way. I stand firmly with the pecan streusel faction, but I want it crunchy and chock-full of nuts. Many families have settled the debate for good with this compromise: they top half with pecan streusel and half with marshmallows. If your family suffers from such turmoil, by all means, be a peacemaker. In mine, however, this does not really solve the problem because we have debated every aspect of sweet potato casserole until we are blue in the face. Should we include raisins, bourbon, or vanilla? How much sugar? We have thrown in the towel and just make two versions. This is mine. A shot of bourbon gives the dish backbone. It is considerably less sweet than my mother’s version, yet far from austere. By slow roasting the sweet potatoes instead of boiling or microwaving them, you get natural sweetness and concentrated flavor, so less sugar is needed. You can even omit the sugar altogether, except for what is in the topping, if you desire. Once you scale back the decadence, this casserole is no longer reserved for special occasions but can become a regular at the dinner table alongside pork chops, pork tenderloin, or roasted chicken—and you can have Thanksgiving every day!
FOR THE SWEET POTATOES
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (page 14)
1/2 cup sugar (or less)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2–3 tablespoons bourbon
Seeds and pulp from 1 vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 350°.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, and butter until light and fluffy. Mix in the remaining ingredients and pour into a buttered 1 1/2-quart casserole dish.
Mix together the topping ingredients and crumble over the sweet potatoes. Bake for about 40 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. If the pecan topping gets too brown, cover it lightly with foil.
VARIATION * Mama’s Way: Omit the bourbon and vanilla. Increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. Add 1/2 cup raisins. Bake for 20 minutes, then top with miniature marshmallows and bake until golden brown. (According to Saveur magazine, the first documented appearance of sweet potatoes baked with marshmallows on top was in 1917, when Angelus Marshmallows published a booklet of recipes designed to encourage home cooks to embrace marshmallows as an everyday ingredient.)
Have trouble getting enough greens in your diet? What if those greens tasted more like potato chips? That is exactly what you get when you roast kale (or collard or turnip or mustard or even sweet potato greens) in the oven. Combine the greens with sweet potatoes, which get sweet and caramelized when roasted at a low temperature, and you have a wholesome and compelling side dish for anything from burgers to roast chicken. Once you have this technique down, you will find the variations are endless. Experiment with different greens and spices and even other complementary vegetables. One tip: it is much easier to cut a raw sweet potato into uniform pieces if you shave a little off one side so the sweet potato lies flat on your cutting board.
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), preferably slender, unpeeled and scrubbed
4 shallots, sliced in half lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Big pinch of cumin
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 bunch of curly or red Russian kale, washed and torn into 2–3-inch pieces, thick stems discarded
2 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise
Lemon wedges
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. With a large, sharp chef’s knife, slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and cut each half in half crosswise. Cut each quarter into wedges 2–4 inches long and about 1 inch thick. Try to keep the wedges of fairly uniform thickness.
Place the sweet potatoes in a medium bowl with the shallots and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, vinegar, and brown sugar.
Spread the wedges out on the baking sheet and roast until the larger pieces are tender when pierced with a sharp paring knife, about 35 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip any that are getting too brown on the edges.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, place the kale in the same bowl the sweet potatoes were in, along with the sliced garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper, but do not toss yet.
When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn the oven down to 300°.
Toss the kale mixture with the oil left in the bowl from the sweet potatoes, adding another teaspoon if necessary to coat evenly. Spread the kale out over the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Return to the oven and bake until the kale is crisp, another 10–15 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Whether you call it a gratin or scalloped sweet potatoes, this is a handy dish to have in your repertoire. It is my favorite thing to bring to a potluck or family reunion. It looks impressive, is loved by all, and is infinitely adaptable. The sweet potato twist on a white potato classic is unexpected and makes the gratin even more versatile. Besides the sweet potatoes, cream, salt, and pepper, the spicing is up to you. I offer a cheesy version here and provide several variations below. You can also combine the sweet potatoes with other root vegetables, like turnips or parsnips, or add herbs for more variation. Just be sure the sweet potatoes are completely cooked before you pull the gratin out of the oven. If you have a mandoline or a food processor with a slicer attachment, this recipe is a breeze. If you want to make a lighter version, replace half of the cream with chicken stock or water instead of using lowfat milk or even half-and-half. Without the addition of flour, milk will curdle in the long cooking and ruin the dish.
6 medium sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove
2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig rosemary
Freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne
1 cup grated Gruyère or Comté
Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
Layer the sweet potatoes in the dish, sprinkling each layer with salt and pepper as you go.
Place the garlic clove on a cutting board and sprinkle it with salt. Chop and scrape it into a mushy paste. Place the garlic, cream, and rosemary sprig in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Season the cream mixture with a bit of nutmeg and the cayenne, remove the rosemary sprig, and pour over the sweet potatoes. Top with the grated cheese and cover with foil.
Bake for about 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the sweet potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a sharp knife and deep golden brown, 25–30 minutes more. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.
VARIATIONS * Chipotle–Sweet Potato Gratin: Omit the garlic, rosemary, nutmeg, cayenne, and cheese. To the simmering cream, add 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
Coffee and Sorghum–Glazed Sweet Potatoes: Omit the garlic, rosemary, cayenne, and cheese. Replace 1/2 cup of the cream with very strong coffee and add 1/3 cup sorghum molasses.
As popular as sweet potatoes are in the South, the tender, nutritious leaves are relatively unexplored. More commonly used in Asian and African cuisine, they can be sautéed in a little oil and garlic, much like spinach or Swiss chard. An added boon is that sweet potato greens taste like spinach but do not contain oxalic acid, which is known to block the absorption of iron and irritate some people’s teeth. Additionally, sweet potato greens thrive in the hot southern summer, whereas most other greens are cool-weather crops. They are popping up on chef’s menus all over the Southeast as a wrapping for grilled fish, a substitute for grape leaves in dolmas, or just tender sautéed greens. They have recently shown up at my local farmers’ market (a trend that is sure to spread), and you can ask any sweet potato farmer if they would be willing to sell you some. You can also find them in some Asian markets, but you can certainly substitute spinach if your search proves futile.
This recipe by Ann Cashion, James Beard Award–winning chef and Mississippi native, is an inspired twist on the old southern grits and greens tradition. Whether it is turnip greens and skillet cornbread, collard greens with corn dumplings, or this spoonbread, the mineral bite of southern-grown greens is a perfect match for corn’s whispering sweetness. This creamy, luxurious spoonbread evokes sounds of enjoyment from diners and complements almost anything from brunch to supper. Use the best cornmeal you can find, and be sure to blanch and squeeze the greens well or the dish will end up soupy.
8 cups loosely packed sweet potato greens, trimmed with no more than 2 inches of stem remaining
3 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 sticks unsalted butter
2/3 cup stone-ground cornmeal, preferably white
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt
A dash or two of Tabasco
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small red onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 300°.
Blanch the greens in salted water. Plunge in ice water to cool quickly and drain. Squeeze dry and chop coarsely.
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the milk, cream, and butter to a simmer. Whisk in the cornmeal, the sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and the Tabasco. Continue whisking while cooking over medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool while you sauté the greens.
In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped greens, another pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Stir to combine and add more salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the cooked greens to a medium bowl. Reserve the skillet.
Whisk the baking powder and eggs into the cornmeal mixture until well combined. Add about 1 cup of the mixture to the greens and gently stir. Pour the remaining cornmeal mixture into the skillet and top with the greens and cornmeal mixture. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the top.
Bake until set, 50–60 minutes. The spoonbread should no longer jiggle in the center when you gently shake the pan. Remove from the oven and serve hot directly from the skillet.
Sweet potato fries are popping up on menus across the country, and you can certainly make them at home (page 15). But let’s face it, who wants to deal with the mess? Plus, oven-baked fries are healthier. The crispiest fries are achieved by soaking the raw sweet potatoes in cold water, adding a little cornstarch, and giving the fries plenty of room to cook on the baking sheet. If you are pressed for time, feel free to skip the rinsing step. Your fries will still be delicious! We eat these once a week at my house.
Sweet potato fries are known to inspire creative dipping sauces. Spicy Sriracha- or chipotle-laced mayo is a personal favorite, as is Indian-style tomato chutney. Ketchup is just fine, too, particularly if it is kicked up with a bit of harissa, hot sauce, or curry powder.
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), preferably a mix of varieties, unpeeled and scrubbed
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
With a large, sharp chef’s knife, trim off a little of each sweet potato lengthwise so it will lay flat on the cutting board, then cut it lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Stack a few of the slices and cut them into 1/2-inch-wide fries. Unless the sweet potatoes are longer than 6–7 inches, no need to cut the fries in half.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl of cold water and swish them around. Drain the bowl and fill with cold water again. Let the fries soak for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Drain the sweet potatoes and dry them well between two dish towels.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Divide the well-dried sweet potatoes evenly between the two pans. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with cornstarch, salt, seasoning salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Use your hands to toss them until they are evenly coated with the oil and spices and the cornstarch has dissolved. Spread the fries on the pans, being careful not to crowd them. For the most even cooking, place fatter fries around the edges.
Bake for 30–40 minutes, checking them after 20 minutes to rotate the pans from top to bottom so they cook more evenly and to flip the fries if they are getting too brown on the bottom.
To make the chili-laced mayonnaise, whisk the Sriracha into the mayonnaise.
This cross between a traditional French cheese soufflé and a sweet potato casserole is guaranteed to win over the sweet potato skeptic. It only takes a few extra minutes to whip the egg whites and create a truly spectacular dish. Do not be intimidated by making a soufflé. This one is equally delicious light and fluffy straight out of the oven or after it has fallen into a rich, cheesy custard. It is superb alongside juicy pork chops or in the spotlight, served simply with a green salad dressed in a sharp vinaigrette.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated onion
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves or finely minced rosemary
2 cups mashed sweet potatoes (page 14)
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded Gruyère
2 large eggs, separated
2 large egg whites
Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish and sprinkle lightly with 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the onions with the lemon zest and thyme or rosemary for about 3 minutes. Stir in the mashed sweet potatoes, milk, salt, and pepper and heat until just warmed through. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining Parmesan, the Gruyère, and the 2 egg yolks.
Beat the 4 egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Stir a third of the egg whites into the sweet potatoes to lighten the mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Spoon into the prepared dish.
Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375° and bake about 20 minutes more. Do not open the oven door while baking. The soufflé should be puffed and dark golden brown with a nice crust on top when done.
Around the time I started developing the recipes for this book, I was newly in love with the vegetarian cookbook Plenty by London’s Yotam Ottolenghi. On a particularly hot day at the end of summer, I found myself hungry and without a plan for lunch. As I stared blankly into the nearly empty refrigerator, I spied some buttermilk sauce left over from making Plenty’s cover recipe for roasted eggplant the previous night. I thought of how old-timers speak of enjoying roasted sweet potatoes with a glass of cold buttermilk and decided to try the sauce slathered on one of the cold roasted sweet potatoes I kept in the refrigerator for testing recipes. I added toasted cumin seeds and the sauce reminded me of an Indian raita, so I sprinkled the dish with thinly sliced hot red peppers and some mint and cilantro. What a revelation!
While a piping hot baked sweet potato and a glass of buttermilk may be the perfect autumn supper, with a different treatment, sweet potatoes can be just as appealing in the dog days of summer.
FOR THE CUMIN-BUTTERMILK RAITA
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt, whole or 2%
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted
FOR THE SWEET POTATOES
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), unpeeled and scrubbed
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime
Maldon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 red jalapeño, seeded and chopped
Whisk together all the ingredients for the raita.
Bake or steam the sweet potatoes until tender (pages 14–15). Cool and slip off the skins. Slice into rounds and arrange on a platter. Place a dollop of raita on each slice, then drizzle with olive oil. Zest the lime directly over the sweet potatoes, then cut the lime in half and squeeze its juice over them. Sprinkle with the salt, cilantro, mint, and jalapeño. Refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.
After enjoying a particularly scrumptious seasonal salad of roasted pumpkin and tart cranberries at Foster’s Market in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I asked owner Sara Foster for a sweet potato version to include in this book. Lucky for both of us, she kindly obliged. This salad is wonderful anytime, but it is especially welcome on those first fall days when the weather is still a bit warm for the rich, braised dishes of the season.
4 medium sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 sprigs thyme
3 sprigs rosemary
1 cup cranberries
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon honey
2 cups arugula
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sea salt and pepper to taste. Remove the leaves from the thyme and rosemary sprigs, roughly chop them, and toss with the sweet potatoes. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 30–35 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and golden brown around the edges.
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, rinse, drain, and pick through the cranberries, discarding any blemished berries. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to roast for 8–10 minutes, just until some of the cranberries begin to pop. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, orange zest and juice, shallot, and honey in a small bowl. Add the remaining olive oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. Season with sea salt and pepper.
Combine the sweet potatoes and cranberries in a large bowl with the arugula and parsley and season with sea salt and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over and gently toss. Serve warm or refrigerate until ready to serve.
This method of boiling sweet potatoes until tender, smashing them flat, and then roasting them produces lots of craggy edges that crisp up beautifully. Small or skinny sweet potatoes work particularly well when prepared this way.
About 2 pounds small, slender sweet potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
Kosher salt
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, melted unsalted butter, or duck fat
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Fresh thyme, sage, or rosemary
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch or two of cayenne
Preheat the oven to 450°.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large, heavy saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Season the water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt. Cook the sweet potatoes until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and coat generously with about half of the olive oil, melted butter, or duck fat. When the sweet potatoes are tender, drain them and place them on the baking sheet a couple of inches apart. Then, with a sturdy potato masher, a spatula, or the bottom of a small frying pan, squash the sweet potatoes. Brush them with the rest of the olive oil, melted butter, or duck fat, and sprinkle them generously with the garlic; thyme, sage, or rosemary; salt; pepper; and cayenne.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.