Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic and Sage

2 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes
¼ c. olive oil
3-4 large garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
¼ c. sage leaves, fresh or dried, whole or crushed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes into rounds about ½ inch thick. Puree oil, garlic and salt in a food processor. Toss sweet potatoes with the garlic oil in a large bowl. Stir in sage leaves. Spread in one layer onto a 10 x 15 inch baking pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until very soft.

You can roast any root vegetable in this way. You can use potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, grated celery root, turnips and rutabagas, in any combination. You can leave out the garlic and/or sage, or use other herbs if you desire.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk

2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
1 red potato, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
4 stalks of celery or ½ a celeriac bulb, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin (if you don’t have these spices, you can also use 2 tsp. curry powder)
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. sea salt
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
½ chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the chopped onion and 1 tsp. of salt. Saute until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and the spices, and sauté 1 minute more. Add the vegetables, and stir well to coat with the oil and spices. Add the stock, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are very soft. Allow to cool slightly, and puree in a blender of food processor. You can puree just half the soup if you prefer it chunky, or just mash it with a potato masher. Return to the pot and add the coconut milk. Thin with stock if desired, and add salt to taste. Simmer 10 minutes more. Add cilantro just before serving. Serves 6-8.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 pie crust, homemade or store bought
2-3 medium sweet potatoes, baked until very soft
1 c. maple syrup
1 c. heavy cream
1 tbs. whiskey (optional)
2 large eggs
½ tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the skins and mash the sweet potatoes. Stir in the maple syrup, cream, salt and whiskey if using. Beat the eggs and add them to the mixture. Place the pie crust in a 9 or 10 inch pie plate and pour the mixture into the crust. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a fork inserted into the middle comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 6-8.