Without a Recipe: Sweet Potatoes

Whether you’re looking for a hearty, vegetarian main dish or a satisfying side dish, the sweet potato is your new best friend. Roast them, mash them, fry them, or bake them–it’s all good.

• For crispy sweet potato latkes, grate 1 pound of peeled sweet potatoes and toss thoroughly with 3 minced Louisiana shallots, salt, pepper, 1 lightly beaten egg, and 2 T cracker crumbs or panko breadcrumbs. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet; when hot, place scoops of latke mixture in the oil and press down with the back of a spatula. When crisp and brown, flip over to cook the other side. Drain on a rack or on a brown paper sack and serve at once with plain yogurt or sour cream.
• We love a sweet potato hash. Saute sliced shallots in a large skillet in 2 Tbs olive oil until beginning to caramelize. Remove from skillet and add 1 pound peeled, sliced sweet potatoes. As potatoes become tender and begin to brown, fold in shallots. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with a fried egg on top.
• When it comes to winning flavor combinations, we can’t think of anything that beats sweet potatoes, creme fraiche, and sorghum or cane syrup. Just roast potatoes, split open and serve with a dollop of creme fraiche (substitute plain whole milk yogurt, sour cream or Mexican crema), a drizzle of sorghum or cane syrup and a sprinkle of Jurassic salt.
• Baked (sweet) potato night! Offer tender baked sweet potatoes with choose-your-own toppings of taco-seasoned meat, spiced black beans, grated cheddar, chopped green onions, and sour cream or yogurt.
• Miso-roasted sweet potatoes will rock your world. Toss cubed, peeled sweet potatoes with 2 T melted butter, 2 T brown sugar, and 2 T miso (any variety). Toss well, place in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast at 400 until tender and beginning to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes.