As a general rule, I’m more into savory than I am into sweet (thus my resolution to eat more fruit this year). And for another general rule in my world (no, really, it’s a very happy world), I love my sweet potatoes with salt and pepper, but not so much with syrup and sugar. I’m not Buddy, folks.
Buddy: We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.
But I made an exception the other day when looking for something to pair with the Hottie Black-Eyed Peas from Appetite for Reduction. Isa actually recommends the two dishes together for their nice complement of flavors, so I took her advice and added apples to my sweet potatoes. I figured doing this would at least give me my apple for the day.
And then the unexpected happened: I actually liked them! Honest! I thought these tasted yummy, and I would recommend them to my friends and to the complete strangers who read YumVeg! You should definitely try this blend of sweet potato with apples, but peeling both first is essential.
Here’s the other unexpected bonus: my daughter liked them, too! She tolerates sweet potatoes, at best, but never out and out likes them. (I know. I’m not sure where I went wrong, either.)
The end result is a creamy, slightly sweet flavor that really does pare beautifully with the Hottie Black-Eyed Peas. I added a batch of fresh cinnamon muffins to the table for the final touch, and dinner was a success.
Admittedly, however, I will likely go back to eating my sweet potatoes with salt and pepper, but at least I can say I have options now, right?!
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- Peeled Potatoes & Apples
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- 1-inch Cubes
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- Steam with a bit of Water
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- Mashed to Perfection
Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Apples
These are an easy dish to have cooking on the stove while you're preparing the rest of your meal, and add a slightly sweet partnership with many other things!
Ingredients:
- Apples - 1 pound, peeled, cut in 1-inch chuncks (2 average sized)
- Sweet Potatoes or Yams - 2 pounds, peeled, cut into 1-inch chuncks
- water - 1/4 cup
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Agave (optional) - 1 T
- Ground Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
- Fresh Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated
- Cooking Spray - as needed
Instructions:
Preheat a 4 quart pot over low heat. Spray with cooking spray, then add apples, sweet potatoes, water and salt. Cover pot and sweat the apples and sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes, stirring often. What this means, is just to cook them slowly and let them steam. You want to coax the m0isture out of them, but if you make the flame too high they’ll burn and cook unevenly.
After 20 minutes, you can turn the heat up just a bit. Add a little more water if needed. Cover and cook 20 more minutes, paying close attention so that they don’t burn, and stirring often. When they’re very tender, they’re done. Mash with a potato masher. Add the agave, cinnamon and ginger, and mash some more. Taste for salt and seasoning. Serve warm.
I’m not big on really sweet things either especially sweetened sweet potatoes. But, I definitely agree. These were just the right amount of sweetness and super tasty.