The new year has arrived, we have returned to our daily routines (however much they may lack actual routine), and Ohio is officially deep in winter. Snow is piled high, temperature remain stubbornly below freezing, ice crunches underfoot, and very little is in season except for root vegetables and the hardier members of the brassica genus. Fortunately, though, Zach has decided he likes Brussels sprouts after all (how could one not? They are the cutest miniature cabbages ever...), and it is hard to go awry with a colorful assortment of healthful root vegetables.
Last night I baked some reliable sweet potatoes, and decided to dress them up a bit while still keeping the dish much lighter than the classic holiday sweet potato casserole. I whipped up the sweet potatoes with some apple cider (we still have 5 gallons of nonalcoholic cider in the fridge leftover from Zach's hard cider fermentation project), spiced them liberally with cinnamon and cardamom, then stewed some apples in just a wee bit of butter and stirred them in for a touch of luxuriousness. The result was so heavenly that Zach requested seconds as dessert...
Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Stewed Apples
3 large or 5 medium sweet potatoes, baked (or boiled, or steamed, or microwaved...)
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 large or two small apples, diced
2 T butter or vegan buttery spread
Cut your cooked sweet potatoes into 1" cubes, with peelings included.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cider, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt.
Add the sweet potato cubes, and mash / whip until fluffy. Set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, sauté the apples in the butter until just beginning to brown. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the apples are soft.
Fold the apples into the sweet potatoes, rewarm if necessary, and serve warm!
This sounds awesome! I love the idea of adding apples in with the sweet potatoes. Hope everything is good with you. Did you mention you had a friend that PCSd to my base?
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