Sweet (Potato) Excitement

I know it may be wrong. I know Thanksgiving is mostly about Turkey. And Pie. And Cranberries. Maybe not always in that order. But for me, the first thing I think of when I think of Thanksgiving is Sweet Potatoes. They are incredibly delicious, incredibly good for you, and incredibly, one of the few orange foods I eat without raising my eyebrows in protest. There are so many fantastic ways to eat sweet potatoes, in fact, that I find it difficult to believe that there are people out there who don't like them. Sweet potato fries for the junkies, sweet potato pies for the sweet-toothers, baked or mashed sweet potatoes for the simple souls, and sweet potato bake casserole for the betty crockers.

My first recipe comes from almost three decades of Thanksgiving tradition, and may be the most popular way to serve sweet potato on this very thankful day.

Marshmallowed Sweet Potatoes

1 sweet potato per person
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tbs. butter
a splash of water

Remove peel and cut potato into slices - I leave them round and about 1-1.5 inches thick. Put into baking pan or casserole dish. Put pats of butter around the dish for flavor. Sprinkle brown sugar over potatoes, a bit of water in the pan to keep the potatoes plump, and top it off with as much marshmallows as you can stomach. Bake in the oven at 350 covered for 40 minutes or until your fork goes cleanly through a potato, uncover to golden the marshmallows. Yum...


My newest secret recipe is less sweet, a bit plainer, and maybe my favorite addition to ANY dish I've ever made.

Sweet Potato & Apples

1/2 apple per person
1/2 sweet potato per person
1 tbs. butter
Any spice you like, salt for flavor

You can cut them up how you like- skin or none, slices to arrange them prettily, or like me, cube them up for a homey-type pile on the plate. If you are a hard core Thanksgiving foodie, really think about the best way this food will get consolidated on your plate. Use the butter to grease the bottom of a baking dish or casserole dish, add the potatoes and apples, and season as you like. This is a great dish because it starts of with a blank palette - both are fairly unobtrusive flavors that can be used to compliment any meat and side dish(es). Use the same herbs as your turkey, use brown sugar to sweeten, or just add a bit of butter and a TINY shake of salt to let the flavors shine on their own. Top with the pat of butter and let it bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes at 350.