Cheesy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Show of hands -- how many of you have eaten hasselback potatoes?

Another show of hands -- how many of you have actually made them? Am I alone in saying that I almost never do?

I feel like hasselbacks are one of those dishes (at least for me) that I love, but that I never bother to make myself. But all of that changed when I discovered hasselback sweet potatoes.

Now, in their original and simplest form, hasselback potatoes are usually drizzled with melted butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and topped with bread crumbs. The rich butter absorbs into the potato during roasting, resulting in a soft, creamy interior and a crispy outside.

So, I guess it's the idea of baked potato meets oven fries that really attracts me. I love how the potato gets a bit crisp on the outside, but it's meltingly tender on the inside. And I love how easy they are to eat.

And, of course, when you add cheese I'm ALL OVER IT.

You could choose any number of cheeses for this dish. Cheddar would be great, especially if you decided to add a sprinkling of bacon. And I could even make the case for Mozzarella or Provolone, maybe with a slight change in the seasonings.

However, smooth nutty Gouda cheese has an affinity for the sugary qualities of the sweet potato, and it melts like a dream, making it the perfect stuffing for these buttery paprika and garlic-infused potatoes. If you like smoked cheeses, try using smoked Gouda for an extra burst of flavor.

I love sitting down with one of these and making it a meal. But, they're also perfect for serving alongside your next roast.
Recipe: Cheesy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

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Sweet Potato Hash with Black Beans

  
It's been a busy few weeks over here at Burp! And, for the most part, it hasn't been the usual sort of busy.

Peef underwent surgery on October 9th to remove a  benign tumor in his parotid/salivary gland. Although it was a delicate procedure (lots of facial nerves impacted) and long (5 hours!) surgery, I'm more than happy to report that things went well, and he's on his way to a full recovery.

He felt well enough last week after his stitches were removed that we were able to tag along on a series of tours with the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.  We chatted with  cheese makers from Widmer's Cheese Cellars and Crave Brothers Cheese.  And we took lots of photos!  We'll share some on the blog in the next few days.

Needless to say, we haven't been particularly inclined to go all out with our cooking lately.

Fortunately, when life gets a little crazy, we have a nice selection of one dish meals that never fail to save the day. They're generally quick and easy -- and if we're slick, we can squeeze our protein and vegetables in all at the same time.

Traditionally made from a coarse mixture of meat, potatoes and onions, hash is staple comfort food at its best. This vegetarian version makes the most of autumn flavors – butter-roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, onions and red peppers pulled together with a cacophony of Southwestern spices.

It's chock full of protein, fiber, and plenty of vitamins from the sweet potatoes and red peppers. And it's pretty versatile.

Top this hash with sour cream and salsa for a delicious vegetarian dinner. Serve it for breakfast with poached or fried eggs, or enjoy it as a light lunch with a side salad. Leftovers make a great filling for burritos or enchiladas.

Sweet potato hash with black beans

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Stir Fry with Tofu, Sweet Potatoes, Red Cabbage, and Hoisin

We're getting to that dreaded point of winter. The point where I'm seriously stretching my poor interior brain parts to think of ways to survive on what's left of the winter vegetables.

I've already resigned myself to the fact that most of the available salad greens are coming from California. And there's little hope of finding a bright young sweet pepper that hasn't traveled all the way from Mexico just to hang with the (decidedly pastier) local mushrooms at our little Wisconsin food co-op.

I must admit that we didn't exactly stow away quite enough of the summer harvest to get us through the winter, so I've been anxiously perusing the grocery aisles to see what I can find that's... well... seasonal. Not a ton out there -- but sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised. One of the storage vegetables that we can seem to find from local sources well into February is cabbage. Thank goodness for the lowly petite au choux! I was even more thrilled when I picked up the latest issue of Bon Appetit magazine and found a recipe for a delightful stir fry inside. Not only did it use red cabbage, but it made use of another winter staple -- the sweet potato.
I wasn't convinced that I was in the mood for chicken, which was supposed to be part of the stir-fry, so I turned to a package of tofu from our local soy purveyor, the Simple Soyman. They make THE BEST nigari-style tofu I've ever had, and it's simply perfect when crisped up a bit and thrown into a stir fry. So, we went with that instead.

As I was glancing through our spice cupboard, I found a small jar of Szechuan peppercorns. They looked so lovely and peppery, I poured a few out and gave them a photo op.
Most recognized for the part it plays in Chinese five spice and Japanese seven spice powders, the Szechuan peppercorn is definitely worth seeking out. Really a seed from the prickley ash tree, this "peppercorn" offers both a unique flavor and aroma to any dish in which it is used. Not quite as pungent as black pepper, Szechuan pepper has a floral aroma and slight lemony overtones. Perfect for this dish, if I do say so myself.

We added a bit to the stir-fry to kick it up a notch, and I really liked the flavors it brought forward when paired with the sweetness of the potato. We threw everything on top of some soba noodles and called it dinner.

The whole affair turned out to be quite the lovely dish. The vegetables cooked quickly, which is a bonus on a weeknight. And the flavors warmed our winter bellies quite nicely while giving us a boatload of nutrients to boot.

I'd call that a bonus at this time of the year.

Original Recipe: Chicken Stiry Fry with Yams, Red Cabbage, and Hoisin (Bon Appetit, February 2009)


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Smoky Sweet Potato Chowder

*whew* After all the excitement of the tomato giveaway, I almost wasn't sure what to post next. Fortunately, we've been cooking up a storm in the past week or two.

Sweet potatoes... simple food with a pretty impressive nutritional profile. These humble tubers contain almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and (when eaten with the skin intact) sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal.

Now, if you're anything like me, the profile alone isn't all that matters. Sure, I can choke down a whole bunch of veg just to get my daily intake. But, it's really my preference to sit down with something that seriously tastes good. So, that's normally how we approach cooking on the healthier side. It's all about getting maximum nutrition AND maximum flavor.

One of our favorite ways to prep sweet potatoes is to make fries out of them -- either by roasting them in the oven or (*gasp*) frying them up in the deep fryer. They make a seriously tasty substitute for starchy old French fries, especially when tossed with a bit of chili powder and accompanied by a bit of smoky barbeque sauce.

However, our second favorite way to prepare sweet potatoes is to make them into soup. I always figure that soup gives pretty good mileage when it comes to cold weather eating. It's hearty, filling, and leftovers work well to take to work in the days following. We're also big fans of the soup/sammich combo, especially when we can pair a great soup with a panini (like our chicken panini with sundried tomato pesto). For more great panini recipes, check out PaniniKathy's blog over at Panini Happy.

We always start with a nice pile of diced sweet potato (skin on, of course).
Combine those potato chunks with a bit of sauteed onion, garlic, some Mexican oregano, a couple of chipotle peppers, and a nice healthy dose of vegetable stock. Simmer for 20-40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
Add a bit of honey and a swirl of heavy cream. Then, give the soup a whorl with your immersion blender... add some black beans and a dash of salt & pepper... and enjoy. This soup is also phenomenal with a few roasted red peppers added to the mix for flavor.
Creamy, smoky, sweet... and good for you. Dare I say this soup is the perfect treat on a cold winter's night?

We especially love it served with a side of sour apple and saurkraut quesadillas.

Smoky Sweet Potato Chowder


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