Ask Chef Phyllis:
The only time I think about or serve sweet potatoes is during the holidays. And I am tired of serving gooey, marshmallow–topped sweet potatoes to my guests for either Thanksgiving or Christmas because I find that most of them only take a taste to remember how sweet they really are. What do you recommend for serving these nutritious vegetables in a healthier way, or at least more often?
—Anna Marie Miller from Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Sweet potatoes are truly forgotten gems that are often overlooked for non-holiday meals. I suspect that most of us are guilty of cutting them into little pieces and drenching them in marshmallows and sugar once a year. It’s no wonder we forget just how good they taste au naturel.
As they’re one of the most nutritious vegetables in the produce aisle, I hope you’ll try sweet potatoes as a side dish for an ordinary weeknight supper or for a casual potato bar dinner party. My following recipe for Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple Jalapeño “Sour” Cream is a new twist on the currently popular potato bar theme, and I also include some unique topping ideas.
Still, the real star at your next New Year’s Eve party may be Sweet Potato Deviled Eggs served alongside a festive pork crown roast or a smoked spiral cut ham. Try both recipes soon—I know your guests and family will be amazed and pleasantly surprised with these new twists on an old favorite.
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Maple Jalapeño “Sour” Cream
Ingredients
6 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed, dried, and rubbed with oil and salt
¾–1 cup thick Greek yogurt, drained Kefir, or sour cream
1–2 tablespoons maple syrup (or to taste)
2 teaspoons jalapeños, seeded and minced
1–2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt and white or black pepper to taste
Toppings for the potato bar experience (½–1 cup of each per potato):
Sliced green onions
Chopped home cooked bacon bits
Cinnamon compound butter
Creamy crumbled feta or blue cheese
Sliced black and green olives
Grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in the middle position. Rub the potatoes with oil and salt and bake directly on the rack 40–45 minutes, or until soft when pierced.
- Meanwhile, thoroughly combine the remaining ingredients for the Maple Jalapeño Cream. Chill until ready to serve.
- Split the potatoes half way. Place each half on a plate and serve with Maple Jalapeño Cream, green onions, bacon, cheese, and whatever other ingredients you choose for your potato bar.
Sweet Potato Deviled Eggs
This recipe serves 6 and doubles easily.
Ingredients
1–1½ cups finely shredded cooked sweet potatoes (1–2 medium sweet potatoes)
½ cup sour cream or thick Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
2–3 green onions, sliced (reserve some for garnish)
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and very finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, cooled, and halved, and yolks reserved
Paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Bake sweet potatoes skin on in a 450°F oven for 40 minutes. Test for doneness. When cool, cut your potatoes in half. Wait until potatoes are cool enough to handle before shredding them on a small holed box grater, using the skin to protect your hand before discarding it. Place the shredded potatoes in a small bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine sour cream or yogurt with hot pepper sauce if desired.
- Combine grated sweet potatoes, green onions, jalapeño, salt, and pepper with reserved egg yolks. Mash everything together with a fork thoroughly.
- Spoon or pipe the potato-egg yolk mixture into the hard-boiled egg whites.
- If desired, garnish with the reserved green onions and paprika.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
To choose your organically grown and fresh ingredients wisely, use the following criteria:
- chemical- and hormone-free meat
- wild-caught fish
- pasture-raised, organic eggs
- whole, unrefined grains
- virgin, unrefined, first-press organic oils
- whole-food, unrefined sweeteners
- pure, clean, spring water
- sea salt
- raw and/or cultured milk and cream products
Photo by Phyllis Quinn
Phyllis Quinn is a chef, food writer, and founder of Udderly Cultured, a class that teaches how to make homemade fresh mozzarella, butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other cultured products. Private lessons are available. For a reservation, call Phyllis at 970-221-5556 or email her at phyllisquinn2@gmail.com. Rediscover nearly lost cooking methods and get one-of-a-kind recipes in her books The Slow Cook Gourmet and Udderly Cultured: The Art of Milk Fermentation.
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Love these ideas, Phyllis!