SWEET POTATO BUNDT CAKE

SWEET POTATO BUNDT CAKE
You can use baked or microwaved spuds, but sweet potatoes boiled in their skins provide the best flavor.
4 medium sweet potatoes, unpeeled
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground allspice
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. margarine or butter, softened
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 c. orange juice
1 c. chopped pecans
Powdered sugar (optional)


Scrub sweet potatoes, and cook in boiling water for 20 minutes, or until soft; drain and peel. Mash enough sweet potatoes to measure 2 3/4 cups, and set aside to cool completely.

Sift together next 5 ingredients; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugars, margarine, and eggs, and beat until light and fluffy. Add mashed sweet potatoes and orange peel, mixing well. Add flour mixture alternately with orange juice. Stir in pecans.

Pour batter into a greased 12-cup Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack, and cool thoroughly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.

ORANGE and SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Orange and Sweet Potato Casserole
Makes 6 servings

6 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
4 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
Salt to taste, if desired
3/4 cup sectioned mandarin oranges, regular oranges or tangerines, seeds and membrane removed and discarded
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pecans 

Put the potatoes in a kettle with water to cover and bring to the boil. Cook until tender, 30 minutes or longer. Drain.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Put them through a food mill or potato ricer (editor's note: or a food processor) into a mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons sugar, rum and salt. Beat thoroughly.
Add half the oranges to the mixture and fold them in. Turn this mixture into a buttered 2-quart casserole. Smooth over the top. Arrange the remaining orange pieces neatly over the top.
Combine the remaining butter, sugar and pecans and sprinkle this over the top.
Place in the oven and bake 30 minutes.

SAVORY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

SAVORY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
The sweet potatoes can be baked in their skins, then peeled, or they can be boiled.
Makes 6 to 8 servings

3 or 4 large sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 or 2 ribs celery, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper (any color or combination)
1 link andouille or other smoked pork sausage, finely diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed), for consistency
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup grated mild cheese
Salt, black pepper and/or hot pepper sauce, to taste
Optional topping: canned fried onions, or buttered cracker crumbs

Coarsely mash sweet potatoes. Cook diced sausage in a heavy skillet or saucepan until it begins to brown. Leave sausage and drippings in the pan, but spoon off excess fat, leaving only a trace.

Stir 1 tablespoon butter into the sausage. Scrape up some of the browned bits from the skillet, then stir in the onion, bell pepper and celery. Saute until vegetables soften a bit.

Stir into the mixture the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and flour, making a very pale blond roux. Sprinkle in onion powder and celery salt, then stir in water to make a smooth paste/thick gravy. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over low to medium heat until mixture thickens. Add more milk if needed for consistency. What you are aiming for is a very thick bechamel sauce, lumpy with sausage and trinity.

Add cheese, stirring just until the cheese melts. Correct seasoning. Add more hot pepper sauce if desired.

Fold in sweet potatoes, mix well, and pour mixture into a greased oven-proof casserole. At this point, casserole can be covered and refrigerated for 2 or 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature or defrost before heating.

Cover the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, or until heated through.

If desired, top with canned fried onions or buttered crushed crackers. Return to oven briefly, to lightly brown topping just before serving. Serve hot.

SWEET POTATO SALAD

SWEET POTATO SALAD

Start with sweet potatoes, which are in season, beautiful and cheap.  Peel, cut them into 3/4-inch cubes and roast them with diced red onion and olive oil. Roasting instead of boiling makes a huge difference: not only do you get a rich, smoky flavor, but the peeled exterior is toughened a bit so that the potatoes stay intact when tossed with the other ingredients. 

Add black beans (canned are perfectly acceptable here) to the roasted potatoes along with a chopped red or yellow bell pepper and fresh cilantro, and you have the beginnings of a strikingly beautiful salad. To complete the dish, purée olive oil, garlic, lime juice and fresh jalapeño for a minute in a food processor or blender and you’ll be rewarded with a dressing creamy enough to nicely coat the potatoes and the beans with a perfect combination of citrus and heat. 

SWEET POTATO PIE

Sweet Potato Pie

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into chips

3 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup natural dark molasses (unsulphured)

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground mace

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 cup half-and-half

1 Basic Pie Crust

3/4 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Put sweet potatoes in a large, heavy pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then let boil until tender and drain.

Transfer potatoes to a large mixing bowl and mash well with a fork while they are still hot. (You should have about 2 cups.) Add butter chips and stir until all are melted. Add eggs, molasses, honey, sugar, salt, spices, orange zest, and half-and-half and mix together well. 

Pour into prepared pie crust and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Arrange pecan halves evenly over top of pie.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake until pie is set and pecans are toasted, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes one 9-inch pie, 6 servings.

"The sweet potatoes grown in south Louisiana are delicious, and that's all I need to know. I love to see the syrup ooze from the sweet potatoes as they bake in the oven. 

CANDIED YAMS

Candied Yams

6 medium yams or sweet potatoes
1/4 cup light brown sugar, combined with ½ cup granulated sugar.
½ cup lemon juice
1 cup melted butter
Nutmeg to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Wash yams and place in baking pan. Bake for 1 hour. After first 15 minutes. Puncture yams on top and bottom with fork. After 1 hour of baking take yams out of oven and peel while hot (hold them with a kitchen towel, they’ll be too hot for bare hands). Cut the yams lengthwise, about ½ inch thick. Layer in a heavily buttered baking dish. Sprinkle each layer as you go, with a little sugar, lemon juice, butter and nutmeg until all yams are layered. Return to oven for 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Serves 6 to 8.

SWEET POTATO SOUP

Sweet Potato Soup

3 cups fresh yams, cooked and mashed
3 Tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. Sugar
1/3 cup onion, chopped
2 slices bacon
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup light cream
½ tsp. Salt
½ tsp white pepper
1 tsp. Nutmeg
Bacon for garnish

Cook yams and mash with butter and sugar. Cook bacon and saute onion in drippings. Combine bacon and onion with 2 cups bouillon, cream and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add yams and puree all ingredients together in a blender. If the yams are stringy, strain the soup before serving. Use the extra cup of bouillon to adjust the soup as needed, if too thick. Garnish with crumbled bacon. Makes 1 ½ qts.

SWEET POTATO PONE

Sweet Potato Pone

5 large sweet potatoes
½ cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup butter
5 well beaten eggs
grated rind of ½ orange and 1 lemon
½ tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Peel and grate sweet potatoes. Cream butter and sugar together and blend in eggs. Add potatoes, milk and spices. Stir in molasses, orange and lemon rind. Pour into buttered pan. Bake 1 hour in 325 oven or until done. Serves 8.

General Honore's SWEET POTATO SOUFFLÉE

GENERAL RUSSEL HONORE'S SWEET POTATO SOUFFÈE


3 medium-size sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/3 cup evaporated milk

For topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/3 cup flour


1. Peheat oven to 350 degrees F. Boil sweet potatoes or yams in enough water to cover until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and mash well, ensuring there are no lumps. You should have about 3 cups
2. In a large bowl, mix together mashed sweet potato along with the sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and evaporated milk. Pour into buttered baking dish
3. For the topping, combine butter, brown sugar, pecans and flour and sprinkle evenly on top of sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until mixture is set and topping is bubbly.

SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES

SWEET POTATOES AND APPLES
Makes 6 cups


1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes


1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling


2 teaspoons brown sugar


1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


3 Tbsp. vinegar






In a large bowl, mix together sweet potatoes, apple pie filling, brown sugar, cinnamon and vinegar. Transfer to a medium microwave-safe dish.


Microwave on high 5 minutes, or heat in conventional oven at 350° for fifteen minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbly.

SWEET POTATOES with PRALINE TOPPING

Granny's Sweet Potatoes with Praline Topping

3 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/2 cuup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs

 
Topping
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped pecans

 
Mix all top ingredients together and place in an ungreased casserole dish.
Mix all topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of casserole
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

SWEET POTATO and GINGER SALAD

Sweet-Potato and Ginger Salad

Serves 4

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a nonstick rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, coarse salt, and ground pepper; roast until fork-tender, about 35 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together fresh orange juice, oil, minced fresh ginger, and Dijon mustard.

Add scallions and potatoes; toss to coat with dressing. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.

To make ahead, prepare the recipe through step 2, and then cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. Just before serving, proceed with step 3.

SWEET POTATO CATFISH CAKES

Catfish Sweet Potato Cakes

4 U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets

Salt

3 sweet potatoes

1 russet potato

½ bulb roasted garlic, mashed

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon,

chopped

1 egg, beaten

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Fresh tarragon or cilantro

LIME MAYONNAISE:

2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

½ cup mayonnaise

1 lime, zested

1 tablespoon lime juice

PREHEAT oven to 350˚F.

SEASON catfish fillets with salt. Lightly spray a small baking dish with vegetable oil. Place fillets in dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until done. Let cool and flake.

PEEL and chop potatoes. In a medium boiler, cover potatoes with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are soft. Drain.

MASH potatoes in a large bowl and set aside to cool. When cool, add garlic, egg and tarragon; gently fold in catfish flakes.

SHAPE into 3-inch cakes. Dip in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. Chill cakes in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes to firm them.

HEAT olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry cakes until golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain.

TOP with a teaspoon of lime mayonnaise and garnish with a sprig of fresh tarragon or cilantro.

TO MAKE LIME MAYONNAISE combine all ingredients and chill.

BOILED SWEET POTATOES (And How to Finish Them)

Boiled Sweet Potatoes (And How to Finish Them)

Don't boil them until they're mush but still have some resistance when pierced with a knife. You can also add savory things to finish them, sauteed bacon and onions, ham, some or prosciutto. I also like a dusting of Parmesan cheese and some fresh basil is nice if you use the Parmesan and Prosciutto.

Variations:
Orange: Combine 1/3 cup sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch. Stir in 1 cup orange juice and 1 Tablespoon grated orange peel. Cook over low heat until mixture begins to thicken. Pour over sliced potatoes. Dot with 2 Tbsp. Butter. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, Baste occasionally. Uncover, turn potatoes and bake 15 minutes longer.

Sugar: combine 3'4 cup brown sugar, ½ cup water, ½ tsp. Salt, 1/4 stick butter and 1/8 tsp. Cinnamon. Pour over sliced potatoes. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Baste occasionally. Turn once.

Tangy Lemon: Combine 3/4 cup brown sugar, ½ tsp. Grated lemon peel and 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Pour over sliced potatos. Dot with 2 Tbsp butter. Bake, uncovered, in 350 degree oven 25 minutes.

Sherry-Orange Pecan: Sprinkle yams with ½ cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup pecans. Pour 1 cup orange juice, 1 Tbsp grated orange peel and 1/3 cup sherry over sliced potatoes. Dot with 1/4 stick butter. Cover and bake in 350 degree oven about 35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.