Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

I have always enjoyed sweet potatoes, but I believe that it was this recipe that started me on my sweet potato craze several years back.

By Alton Brown

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 whole canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped*

1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can of peppers

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than two inches from the bottom of the steamer basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

2. Add butter to the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add peppers, sauce, and salt and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.

*Tip: I can never eat an entire can of adobo peppers before they go bad without freezing them. Use what you need for this recipe, put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze until next time!

Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

by Kathyrn Matthews from Epicurious.com

If you know me, you know that I love sweet potatoes. So, when Ben and I decided to make a two-person Thanksgiving feast in 2008, I knew that I had to find the perfect sweet potato recipe. After much searching through cookbooks and online, I came across the recipe below. I haven't altered it because it's great the way it is. Although it was our sweet potato masterpiece for Thanksgiving, when I made it at home for my family, we used it as a form of sweet potato fries. So clearly, it can go either way. Just make sure not to overcook this recipe. The picture above is from the first time that I made this recipe. They are slightly overdone, but delish!

Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick rounds
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup fresh thyme leaves, plus 6 thyme sprigs for garnish (I have used dried as a substitute)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and toss. Arrange potato slices in single layer on heavyweight rimmed baking sheet or in 13x9-inch baking dish. Place on top rack of oven and roast until tender and slightly browned, about 40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with thyme sprigs.

Sweet Potato, Caramelized Onion, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Inspired by the "Frittata Zola" at Cafe Zola in Ann Arbor

Ingredients:

3 cups peeled sweet potato rounds (1/2 inch thick) [about 2 large sweet potatoes]

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onions

4 eggs

1/4 cup water

1/4-1/2 cup crumbled or thinly sliced goat cheese

ground black pepper to taste

hot sauce (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, stir together the sweet potatoes with 2 cloves of the minced garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on an unoiled baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, until tender.

3. While sweet potatoes roast, heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a large broiler-proof skillet (no plastic handles!) and saute the onions with the rest of the garlic and salt until the onions have softened and caramelized, about 5-8 minutes.

4. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven. Turn the oven to broil.

5. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet containing the onions and stir the onions until the potatoes and onions are mixed. Shift the sweet potatoes into one flat layer as best as you can.

6. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt until smooth.

6. Place the skillet containing the onions and potatoes on medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot, pour the egg mixture on top of the potatoes and onions. Add goat cheese to the skillet. Then, immediately lower the heat to medium-low and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the edges are firm and pulling away from the sides of the pan. If the frittata is still very wet in the middle, push in the edges of the frittata with a spatula or spoon and allow the runny middle to run down into the sides of the skillet. Do not worry about fully cooking the entire middle of the frittata, as this will finish cooking under the broiler in the next step.

7. The frittata should be mostly cooked but with the top still a little wet. Place the skillet under the broiler until the top is firm and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.

8. Slide the frittata onto a large plate or serve directly from the skillet in generous wedges.

9. Add black pepper and salt to taste. If desired, serve with a bottle of hot sauce on the table.