in the kitchen

in the kitchen

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Topped Sweet Potatoes

This is barely a recipe--more like some serving ideas but worth a post nevertheless. Sweet potatoes can be a meal by themselves with these toppings.
Bake sweet potatoes at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes and top each with one of the following combinations:
3 tablespoons crumbled cooked bacon
2 tablespoons crumbled gorgonzola
2 teaspoons maple syrup
This one is smokey from the bacon, salty and rich from the cheese and slightly sweet from the syrup.
Or try:
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/4 cup sliced dates
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
Melt the butter in a small skillet. Stir in pine nuts and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add dates and rosemary. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes then slide over split hot potato and serve.
This topper is sweet and rich, the browned butter and the pine nuts lend a savory undertone to the chewy dates. The rosemary rounds out the flavors beautifully.
And finally:
1/4 cup finely shredded Balsamic Bella Vitano cheese (purchased at Costco)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
Top split hot potato with cheese and then add marmalade.
Tangy, sweet orange flavor along with the slight nutty edge of the cheese combines to make a lovely flavor profile. Add some cracked black pepper for a slight kick if you like. (Romano cheese would also be delicious.)
All three of these toppers are delicious. Try a new style of potato bar at your next gathering and let me know how it goes!




4 comments:

  1. OH! I just cooked sweet potatoes yesterday! I am definitely going to try something like this next time..I am tired of the same old ONE recipe I know. Are yams and sweet potatoes the same thing?

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    1. There are a variety of sweet potatoes available to us, some are deeper orange than others. But I read once that true yams are only grown in Africa and not sold here. Not sure how true that is. I use the "yams" in the store as if they were "sweet potatoes".

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  2. I wish that sweet potatoes were not so expensive here, or I would eat more of them with all kinds of toppings!

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    1. We'll be sure to have some when you come this summer! I wonder why the farmers don't grow them there?

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