This collection of recipes gives you fun ways to incorporate these tasty tubers into a variety of fall meals. The possibilities go beyond the usual casserole.
Hors d’oeuvre – Sweet Potato Mini Muffin
Ingredients
• 2 cups – cooked, mashed sweet potato
• 1 2/3 cups – sugar
• 2/3 cups – vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons – vanilla
• 4 – eggs
• 3 cups – all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons – baking soda
• ½ teaspoon – baking powder
• 1 teaspoon – salt
• 1 teaspoon – cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon – ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon – allspice
• ½ cup – finely chopped pecans
• ½ cup – chopped raisins
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two mini-muffin tins or line with paper baking wraps.
2. Chop pecans and raisins and toss together. Mix remaining ingredients together with pecans and raisins. Mix on medium-low speed just until dry ingredients are evenly incorporated.
3. Scoop two tablespoons of mix into each muffin cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes until light golden brown.
Recipe Tip
• Baking soda and baking powder are quick acting leavening agents. If you overmix batter, it can cause extra gluten development resulting in breads that are tough, gummy, and unpleasant. To produce a bread with a light and airy crumb, take care to mix ingredients thoroughly, but just enough to evenly distribute everything.
Creamy Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
• 2 ½ pounds – sweet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons – olive oil
• 2 tablespoons – butter
• 1 cup – minced onion
• ½ cup – minced celery
• 3 cloves – garlic
• 3 cups – chicken or vegetable stock
• ¾ teaspoons – ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon – ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon – salt
• ½ teaspoon – ground black pepper
• 1 cup – Half and half
• Sour cream
• ¼ pound – crisply cooked and chopped bacon
• ¼ cup Chopped Green Onions
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350-400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash sweet potato into ½ inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes until fork tender.
2. Meanwhile, sauté onion, celery, and garlic in butter in a large stock pot until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant.
3. Deglaze the stock pot using soup stock. Add ginger, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Add roasted sweet potatoes to soup pot. Mash together by hand, with a hand mixer, or an immersion blender. Add Half and half to soup and mix until creamy and incorporated.
4. Serve into bowls. Top with sour cream, chopped bacon, and green onions.
Recipe Tip
• For a flavor boost, add a ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper or chili powder.
Appetizer – Sweet Potato Poppers
Ingredients
• 2 large – sweet potatoes 6-8 inches long
• 2 tablespoons – olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon – sea salt
• ½ teaspoon – black pepper
• 2 teaspoons – apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon – honey
• ¼ cup – toasted, chopped pecans
• 1 small – minced shallot
• ½ small – granny smith apple
• ¼ cup – whole berry cranberry sauce
• 1 tablespoon – chopped dried rosemary
• 2 oz – ricotta cheese
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, but do not peel. Cut into ½ inch rounds. Place in a single layer on baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bottoms are golden brown. Flip sweet potatoes over and bake another 5-10 minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together cider vinegar and honey. Mix in pecans, shallot, diced apple, cranberry sauce, and ricotta cheese. Toss to coat mixture.
3. Transfer roasted sweet potatoes to a serving dish. Top each round with mixture. Sprinkle with rosemary and serve.
Recipe Tip
• This is an easy make-ahead appetizer. You can roast the sweet potatoes and mix the topping the day before. Then reheat the potatoes in the oven, top and serve just before the event.
Sweet Potato Spinach Salad with Maple Vinaigrette
Ingredients
• 3 large – sweet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons – olive oil
• 1 teaspoon – sea salt
• ¼ cup – olive oil
• ¼ cup – maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons – apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons – lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon – sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon – black pepper
• 6 oz – baby spinach
• ½ cup – diced red onion
• 1/3 cup – dried cranberries
• ¼ cup – chopped pecans
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350-400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash sweet potato into ½ inch cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes until fork tender. Cool completely.
2. Whisk together next 6 ingredients to make the maple vinaigrette. Set aside.
3. Toss together spinach, onion, cranberries, pecans, cooked and cooled sweet potato. Coat lightly in maple vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Main Course Side Dish – Savory Twice-Baked Sweet Potato
Ingredients
• 4 medium – sweet potatoes
• ½ cup – sour cream
• 2 oz – feta cheese
• 10 oz – fresh or frozen (thawed & drained), spinach
• 4 oz – crumbled blue cheese
• 1 cup – plain panko breadcrumbs
• ¼ – ½ cup – Olive Oil
• Sea Salt to taste
• Pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350-4000F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and prick holes on all sides with a fork. Drizzle (or spritz) the potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the potato feels soft when poked with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, mix panko breadcrumbs with ¼ cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Use a fork to evenly mix them together.
3. Allow potatoes to cool just enough to handle. Slice the top from long end to end. Scoop out the middle of each potato into a mixing bowl.
4. Mash insides together with sour cream, feta cheese, blue cheese and sea salt (to taste). Fold in spinach. Refill each potato with equal amounts of sweet potato mixture. Top each potato with equal amounts of breadcrumb mixture.
5. Return to oven until cheese is melty and breadcrumbs are golden-brown.
Recipe Tips
• Roasting the sweet potatoes slowly brings out their natural sweetness. If you have the time to bake them on a lower temperature for longer time, that will enhance the sweet flavor and offset the saltiness of the cheeses in the mixture.
Dessert – Sweet Potato Maple Meringue Pie
Ingredients
• 1 cup – toasted pecans
• 11 – whole graham crackers
• 2 teaspoons – ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons – brown sugar
• ½ teaspoons – salt
• ½ teaspoons – ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons – melted butter
• 2 ¼ cups – cooked mashed sweet potatoes
• ½ cup – brown sugar
• 3 large – eggs
• 2 tablespoons – bourbon (optional)
• ½ cup – heavy cream
• 1 cup – granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup – water
• 3 large – egg whites
• Pinch – salt
• 1 teaspoon – maple extract
• ½ teaspoon – cream of tartar
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pulse first six ingredients together in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter. Press into a nine- or ten-inch pie plate. Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
3. Pulse cooked sweet potatoes in food processor until creamy and smooth. Add next four ingredients and pulse until incorporated. Spread evenly into cooked pie crust and bake 50 minutes, until set. The top should look dry. Once done, remove pie from oven, and turn on the broiler.
4. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water. Cook on high heat, stirring occasionally until the syrup is 2400F (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, beat egg whites, salt, and cream of tarter on high until soft peaks forms. Carefully drizzle in hot syrup and maple extract and beat at high speed until the whites are stiff and glossy, about 5 minutes.
5. Mound the meringue over the pie. Broil six inches from the broiler for about 30 seconds until the meringue is lightly browned.
Recipe Tip
• Make a reliable meringue by using room temperature egg whites and start beating on high speed right from the beginning.
