By Maggie Blackwell
For The Salisbury Post
When Thanksgiving rolls around, our family anticipates our traditional Sweet Potato Soufflé . I make one with the nut topping and one without, for those who don’t care for walnuts.
I grew up thinking all sweet potato dishes had to be sticky sweet and have melted marshmallows on top. Not so. If you ask your guests if you can send them home with leftovers, this is the dish they will ask for.
Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams, with which they have no genealogical relation. Yams grow in the Caribbean and can sometimes exceed 9 feet in length. Sweet potatoes are popular in the southern United States and are available from October from January. Look for the sweetest variety: an elongated sweet potato that tapers to a point on the ends. It has a very reddish skin, and its flesh will be moist and very sweet.
If your store posts the varietal name, look for Georgia Red, Goldrush, New Jersey or Velvet. The lighter-skinned ones have a pale yellow flesh with dry, crumbly texture. Their fat, round outsides may entice you, but the insides will disappoint.
Look for sweet potatoes with no wrinkles in their skins and zero blemishes. It doesn’t help to cut a bruise out of a sweet potato as it affects the taste of the whole vegetable. Store them in a cool dark place for three or four weeks. If your storage is warmer than 55 degrees, use them in a week. Never refrigerate raw sweet potatoes ó or raw white potatoes, for that matter.
Baked sweet potatoes are a nice treat on a chilly autumn night. Whether you are baking them in the microwave or the oven, be sure to prick them with a fork several times, so they will not explode while cooking. At one time in my life I thought this was an old wives’ tale, and I did not stab my sweet potatoes before baking. I can report to you that an exploded sweet potato is a sticky mess to clean from the walls, ceiling, and door of the microwave. Baking in the oven takes about 45 minutes; microwaving takes about 12 minutes for one sweet potato; about 18 minutes for two. Times vary depending on the size of the potato. Test with a fork for softness.
The original soufflé recipe cautions not to use canned sweet potatoes ó in bold letters. Psshaw! I have used them in a pinch and the results were delicious. You’ll notice my version of the recipe does not include the caution.
Note: this dish freezes well. When ready to serve, remove from freezer the night before, place in refrigerator, and bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. It’s a dense product; you want it warm all the way through.
The second recipe is for baked sweet potatoes, spicy and warm ówith no marshmallows.
Sweet Potato Soufflé
3 C. cooked sweet potatoes (about 6 medium)1 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 stick butter
1/2 C. milk (I use evaporated milk)
1 tsp. vanilla
Topping
1 C. brown sugar (packed)
1/3 C. flour
1 C. chopped walnuts
1/3 stick butter
Peel potatoes, slice and cook in water until tender (takes about 35 minutes or so; test with a fork for softness). If using canned sweet potatoes, just warm them in a saucepan.
Drain. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Add butter, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla. Beat well. Mixture will appear thin.
Pour into a greased 2-quart casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, or until it looks firm. Mix topping ingredients with electric mixer and put over top of soufflé. Bake an additional 10 minutes, or until topping is brown.
Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes6 large sweet potatoes
1/2 C. butter
2 C. white sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Salt to taste
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into slices.
Melt the butter or margarine in a heavy skillet and add the sliced sweet potatoes.
Mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Cover the sweet potatoes with sugar mixture and stir. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low and cook for about 1 hour or until potatoes are “candied.” They should be tender but a little hard around the edges. Also the sauce will turn dark. You will need to stir occasionally during the cooking. Stir in the vanilla just before serving. Serve hot.