You come in on Sunday afternoon. The snow has been shoveled, the wood stacked. That board pulling away from the side of the house has been nailed back tight. Although the days are getting longer, they are still short. The afternoon shadows are long and cold.
On your kitchen counter you encounter some sweet potaotoes. What can you do with these rather stark critters. I don't think you can call a sweet potato beautiful. But, as with all our garden bounty, they have potential.
Dinner needs to be warm and sweet. These mashed sweet potatoes are just perfect. Here you can enjoy that quite distinctive sweet potato flavor, toned with milk and butter and maple syrup. The potato-syrup combination seems a perfect destiny for those rough-and-ready looking sweet potatoes.
What else for a wintry dinner? These potatoes happily share a plate with roasted chicken or broil pork loin.
And if you are lucky enough to have sugar maple trees on your land, maybe you’ll considering tapping into a great resource for next fall’s first bounty of sweet potatoes.
Here's a thought: what about this treat on your Christmas Eve or Christmas Night table? Comfort food on the ultimate "homey" night.
Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Yield: Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds dark-orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, scrubbed
- ½ cup [1 stick] unsalted butter
- ¾ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅔ to ¾ cup milk, warmed
- Kosher or sea salt
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pierce each potato several times with a fork and place in a baking pan. Bake the potatoes for 1 ¼ to 1 ½hours until tender when pierced with a fork. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the butter and maple syrup. Stir to melt the butter and bring to a boil. Set aside and keep warm.
Cut the potatoes in half and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, discarding the skins. Use a potato masher, ricer, or food mill to mash the potatoes. Stir the butter mixture into the potatoes. Add the milk and mash until well blended.
Season to taste with salt. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a saucepan and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes until warmed through. Alternatively, transfer the mashed potatoes to a microwave-safe serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Just before serving, microwave the potatoes on high until heated through.
Source: The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan