Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sweet something on the side


Nothing like the prospect of dining with family members and their significant others to up the anxiety level. Why not allay the prospect of negative feelings with a forkful of good stuff?


I'm not sure of the source of this recipe, I clipped it out of one of those humble women's magazines (between the diets and the dessert recipes) ages ago.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Peel 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes. Cut into cubes, place in saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Drain. Add 3 tbls butter onto the hot potatoes, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk with one egg beaten into it, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mash the mixture coarsely, pour into a (2 qt) baking dish.

Mix 1/3 cup flour with 1/2 cup brown sugar. Cut in 2 tblsp cold butter; add 1/2 cup pecan pieces. Sprinkle the dry mixture evenly on top of the mash. Bake for 25 minutes.

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year, and my only task for that meal is gravy. (More in another post). I will miss this sweet side dish so much, I'll have to make it for another meal.
Like roast pork and braised red cabbage, a perfect fall combo.

13 comments:

  1. Nothing like the prospect of dining with family members and their significant others to up the anxiety level. Why not allay the prospect of negative feelings with a forkful of good stuff?

    I agree wholeheartedly. In fact, I've been telling friends for the last few years I wood wanna try celebrating a Thanksgiving w/o any family members. Instead, visit with friends and acquaintances for a change. I'll give thanks whenever that occurs. Get 2 know new people better. 1 day...

    Later. Gettin hungry.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, this is my mom's recipe that got shuffled over to being "my specialty" at the last 10 or so Thanksgivings! It's totally delicious, but I may make roasted sweet potatoes with maple syrup this year just to be different.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That picture struck me as so odd until I sorted it out.

    (They're missing out if all they let you bring is the gravy.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. CP: We have good friends over on Thanksgiving Eve, which makes up for any drama on the day itself--
    K: Sounds great!
    L: Let me know if it works out--
    AH: Uh yeah--kinda odd photo--
    M: Sorry kiddo! Surely there's some dispensation for carb loading on Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know that recipe! Given to me by a Charleston friend, it's been a fixture in my family's life--and many guests--ever since.

    I much prefer to cook the sweet potatoes whole, unpeeled--boiled, baked, or nuked. This makes peeling a bit messy, but preserves vital flavor and nutrients.

    My favorite way to serve it is with greens and ham (or ham hocks, pigs feet, etc. cooked with the greens).

    ReplyDelete
  6. B: I love a simple baked yam. And your menu sounds delish!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a wonderful recipe (a staple in my friend Natasha's family) that layers the sweet potatoes with apples and pecans. I love the dish, but, alas, I'm the only one in family who does. I'm sure my daughter would swoon over the mini-marshmallow version, but that's not gonna' happen. This sounds like a good, crowd-pleasing alternative.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bring it on, Susan! I hope you post your recipe, it sounds terrific!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Really sounds good. Sounds like I could do it. This year, though, I'm bringing "fruit-based dessert." ????

    Margaret, really. It's Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  10. P-I hope you caught the fork link--
    Lemon's a fruit, right? I vote for lemon meringue pie--

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, look at you! I had not clicked. Thank you. What do you think? Was that fork an incredible piece of PR? I think we need to put our heads together and come up with something. Who among us needs publicity? If we don't have an idea, maybe what we need to do is hire Agent Phil.

    ReplyDelete
  12. FU (Oops, just realized that I should spell out Follow Up)I made this for Thanksgiving and the family liked it so much that they requested it for Christmas dinner, which is coming a day late this year.

    ReplyDelete