Did you ever wonder what happens most in your lifetime? With you? This question just popped into my head and I think I have the answer. How about three billion things? That’s how many times your heart will beat in eighty years at 70 beats a minutes. Three billion.
Nothing can compare to that. The number of breaths would be second I suppose. How about things you intentionally do, like eating? The number chocolate chip cookies you’ve consumed is going to be less than a billion. Even the number of individual chocolate chips. For many of us, I bet the biggest number of “things” we consume is French fries.
Think about it. When a plate comes to your table with fries on it, how often do you not eat even one? Our curiosity is boundless. Are these fries in front of us salty, soft, crusty, thick, thin? Is the taste okay or sublime? The only way to know is to taste one. Or really two. Or…
I have come to view fries not as a food but more as an unregulated drug. I know this attitude would get me arrested in Idaho, but honesty is the first step towards curing an addiction.
Fries are ubiquitous. Do you think McDonalds went worldwide on the strength of those burgers or has it really been the fries? And we both adore and adorn our fries. We dip them into ketchup or mustard or mayo. Belgian frites come with those hopped up mayo combinations. British chips are served with vinegar, a touch now showing up in US burger joints.
Have you noticed that these adornments are always one off. It’s ketchup, or it’s vinegar, or mayo. You would never combine ketchup and mayo together. That would be a felony in Idaho and probably several other farming states.
So, is there some way to accelerate the fries experience? To add multiple flavors and reach a higher culinary plateau.
Yes. Thanks to The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan. Make them sweet with honey. Give them heat with chipotle. And add the zing of lime juice. Oh, and take away the usual potato and go for the richness of sweet potatoes. This new recipe is striking and will refresh you respect for the “fries” idea. These solid, rewarding spears of sweet potato are exquisitely satisfying. They are filling, so you won’t be downing thirty or forty of them. A dozen will do you, but you’ll keep coming back again and again.
This is a perfect side dish. I suggested yesterday serving it with the turkey enchiladas from Diane’s book. However you try it, I’m confident you will totally enjoy it.
Now, if my cardiologist tells me that for each French fry I eat, my heart will beat 10 less times, I have the perfect response. Just bring on the sweet potatoes, the honey, the chipotle. I will live hot and happy.
Honey and Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potato Spears
Ingredients:
4 pounds uniformly (medium) size dark-orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half crosswise, the cut into ½-inch wedges
1 tablespoon plus ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
½ cup honey
⅓cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or seal salt
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the sweet potato wedges in a large bowl. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with the 1 tablespoon butter and set aside
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the ½ cup butter. Whisk in the chipotle powder and the add the honey, lime juice and salt. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, continue simmering for 3 minutes to meld the glaze.
Pour the glaze over the sweet potatoes and toss until well coated. Arrange them in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl, drizzling any remaining glaze over the potatoes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast, covered, for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and base with the potatoes. Continue to bake, basting every 10 minutes for about 20 minutes longer until tender, nicely browned and caramelized at the edges. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a low oven for up to 30 minutes. Baste just before serving.
Source: The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan