Sunday, February 15, 2015

Roasted Garlic Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

Recipe and picture source:
http://ourbestbites.com/2013/11/roasted-garlic-chipotle-sweet-potatoes/
Here is the recipe for the savory mashed sweet potatoes I made at Thanksgiving. The recipe makes a lot, so unless it is for a gathering I recommend halving the recipe.


Roasted Garlic Chipotle Sweet Potatoes
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
5 pounds fresh sweet potatoes
2 heads garlic
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
Buttermilk (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
Adobo sauce from chipotle chilies (and some chilies if you want some extra heat)
kosher salt, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 425. Cut the tops off the bulbs of garlic. Tear a sheet of aluminum foil big enough to tightly wrap both the bulbs of garlic and place them, cut side up, on top of the foil and drizzle each of them with about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Wrap tightly with foil and place them, cut side up, into the heated oven. Roast the garlic for about 45 minutes. If you happen to have the oven going for other Thanksgiving-y things, just pop these in with them; if the temperature is lower, you’ll just have to extend the roasting time to about an hour. Just keep an eye (and a nose) on things; when it smells amazing and the garlic is soft, it’s ready.
As the garlic is finishing up, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces that are roughly the same size. Boil the sweet potatoes until they are easily pierced with a fork. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
When the garlic is done roasting, unwrap it and allow it to cool for a few minutes and then carefully squeeze it into the sweet potatoes, picking out any of the skins. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and about 2-3 tablespoons of adobo sauce. With the wire whip attachment (or with a handheld electric mixer), mix until the potatoes break down and the butter melts. Test and add salt and adobo sauce to taste; I’d give specific measurements here, but this is going to be largely personal–some of you may end up adding all the adobo sauce or even a chili or two whereas for others, 2-3 tablespoons will be plenty (it will add a nice, smokey flavor and a tiny, tiny bit of spice).
When the seasonings are about right, add enough buttermilk to reach the desired consistency. Again, this will be super personal; some people like their whipped potatoes smooth as silk and other others like them lumpy. When you have the consistency you want, taste them again for salt and spiciness and add more adobo sauce and/or salt taste.
Serve immediately or transfer  to a baking dish and cover with foil for up to 2-3 days. When you’re ready to serve them, pop them (covered) into an oven heated to 425 degrees for about 1/2 hour. Or you could zap them in the microwave, but I’m not sure how long.
Serve with holiday meals or as a side dish for sandwiches, steaks, or roasts. Makes 12-14 servings.
SaveSave

Mexican Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes


Recipe and Picture Source:
 http://pinchofyum.com/healthy-mexican-sweet-potato-skins

We had these stuffed sweet potatoes the other night and really enjoyed them! Great by itself or with a salad on the side.

Prep time:  
Total time:  
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • ½ yellow onion, chopped
  • 2-4 INDIVIDUAL chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed (not the whole can!)*
  • 1 ounce light cream cheese
  • ¼ cup light sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)
  • ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 6 tablespoons shredded cheese (Pepperjack, Cheddar, Colby Jack... anything will work)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.
  2. While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt and other Mexican seasoning (as much as you want). Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans.
  3. Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.
  4. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.
  5. Mix the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon, depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro.
  6. Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
*I would recommend starting with 2 chipotle peppers. I convinced Josh to use 3 instead of the 4 he wanted and it was just right for us, but I know many in the family don't like things too spicy.