Smashed Hot Sweet Potatoes

There are two types of people in this world.

People that actually try out recipes that they pin on Pinterest...and those who don't.

I was totally in the latter category for a while and then I decided I couldn't be that person anymore. I needed to make some changes in my life, starting with cooking things I pin. (Being a little over dramatic here, I know.)

These Smashed Hot Sweet Potatoes were one of the first things I tried and they were a hit! Super easy, flavorful and a nice change from sweet potato fries. Not that I really needed a change from sweet potato fries, those are my fav.

Crispy, sweet and spicy outside, soft, fluffy inside. A match made in heaven...or in your own kitchen!

 

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time: 30 min. Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe from The Creekside Cook (lots of great recipes!)

 

Ingredients:

1 & ½ tablespoons light brown sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon New Mexico chili powder

½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder

⅛ teaspoon granulated garlic

10 coarse grinds of black pepper

2 medium to large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions:

1. Set a large pan of water with a teaspoon of kosher salt over medium heat until simmers.
2. Cover a large baking sheet with foil.
3. In a small bowl, mix together all of the dry spices, and set aside
4. Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut into 1 & ½ inch thick slices.
5. When the water is simmering, add the potato slices and cook for around 10 minutes, until the slices are getting a little soft. (Make sure they are soft enough to mash!)
6. Remove the slices to a cooling rack. You can leave them on the rack until they cool off and the outsides are dry, or if you are in a hurry, blot all of the moisture from the surface of the slices. This is important – they have to be dry on the outside or they won’t get crispy.
7. Start the oven preheating to 400º
8. Lay the slices of sweet potato on the prepared pan, and use a water glass to gently compress each slice – you want them to flatten out and the edges should get kind of ruffly.
9. Mix the butter and oil together.
10. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread a thin layer of the oil and butter mixture on each slice.
11. Sprinkle some of the spice mixture over each slice, and press onto the surface lightly so that it sticks to the potato slices.
12. Gently turn oven each slice, and repeat the oil/butter and dry spice application as you did on the first side.
13. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the bottom of the slices is getting caramelized and crispy.
14. Carefully flip over each slice and roast another 10 minutes or so, until both sides are crispy and the spice mixture has melted together and turned all nicely brown.
15. Serve!

Enjoy!

 

Now to start trying out my work-out pins...

Laura

 





Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese

Supposedly all you have to do is cut a spaghetti squash in half, drizzle it with EVOO, roast it in a 375 degree oven for about an hour and you can pull a fork through the guts and make little spaghetti that are actually SQUASH! Say whaaattttt?

Y'all, it's true! I've tried it and it couldn't be simpler!

You can toss it with pasta sauce and add a chicken breast but how blasé would that be! (Blasé aka bland, boring, beneath your taste buds). But, if you do want to do that some night, I'm totally not judging.

Once you make SkinnyTaste's Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese, though, you will understand how blasé the first option sounds.

Strings of spaghetti squash, mixed with onions, spinach and made creamy with cups of cheddar cheese and sprinkled with Parmesan. And baked until bubbly. The hardest part of this recipe is cutting the spaghetti squash. (Seriously, does anyone else struggle with this? It's a job for my hubby.)

 

It's a low-fat, veggie-rich dish that tastes so decadent you'd never know it was skinny!

 

Move over mac and cheese, there's a new dish in town.

Laura

(P.S. That last line re: the mac and cheese makes me giggle.)

Sweet Potato Gratin with Gruyere

I am all about traditional Thanksgiving dishes.

Green Bean Casserole, the recipe on the cream of mushroom soup can.

Stuffing from a box. Not ashamed to admit it.

But last year, my sister in law whipped up this dish that we found from Brown Eyed Baker and we swore to start a new tradition. To make this every year.

Layered sweet potatoes with gruyere cheese, thyme and cream.

Swoon.

I don't want to tell y'all what to do but you must make this dish for Thanksgiving this week. You will not regret it. I want it. Now.



Click here for the link to the original recipe from one of my favorites, Brown Eyed Baker and start a new tradition at your house.

I don't know why I save this dish for Thanksgiving, I should make it year round!
Laura

Beer Bread

In case you haven't picked up on things around here, I love any recipe that is simple.

Rosemary Rolls? Simple.

Tomato Soup? Simple.

Cornflake Chicken? Simple.

And this recipe is no different.

Bake at 350 is another one of my daily blog reads that is full of sweet and decadent treats. Not to mention, she is an amazing cookie decorator and has a new book out full of gorgeous designs with step-by-step illustrations!

via

And, although her cookie decor is simply amazing, it's her beer bread recipe that has become a staple for me. 

Take a basic mixture of self-rising flour, butter and sugar and mix it up with different types of beer and fillings. 

For example...

via

How great do those flavors sound?

I have tried all but the classic (because really, when you have those other flavor options, do you really want it to be so plain?) and it is hard to pick a favorite. 

The chocolate chip is perfect for a sweet breakfast (yes, I said breakfast) or mid-afternoon snack that fills my sweet tooth.

The orange nutmeg really does taste like a breakfast option or the perfect companion to a hearty pork dish.

And you can't go wrong with rosemary in my book. Add gruyere to that, too? Perfection with a bowl of soup. 

I like to pour the batter into small loaf pans and pass them out to neighbors and friends, too. One for you, one for me. 

Click here for the link to the basic recipe and how to make all the variations! 

The hardest part is choosing which one to start with!

Laura

An Ode to Bacon

...I mean, my brother.

Today is my brother's birthday and in honor of his bacon-loving self, here is a round up of some scrumptious looking recipes, all using bacon as the centerpiece!

Bacon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Bacon and Beer Cookies

Bacon Bread

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans

Maple Bourbon Bacon Jam

Happy Birthday to a loving, protective and bacon-loving older brother!

What if you put bacon jam on bacon bread? Hmmm...

Laura



Christmas in July Orzo Salad

What is it about red and green that automatically makes you think of Christmas? I can't even cook with red and green without humming Jingle Bells.

Which is how this Christmas in July orzo salad came about!

A quick, easy side dish when the last thing you want to do is slave over dinner in the summer! 

Christmas in July Orzo Salad

Serves 4 as a side dish

Prep Time: 5 min. Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

-1 c. orzo

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1/2 green bell pepper, diced

-3/4 c. cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

-1 tbsp. EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)

-Grated Parmesan cheese

-Handful of fresh basil, chopped

-Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Cook orzo according to box directions.

Meanwhile, saute garlic in EVOO until slightly browned and fragrant. Add bell peppers and cherry tomatoes and cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft.

When orzo is done cooking, drain and combine with vegetable mixture.

Add a large splash of balsamic vinegar and drizzle with more EVOO.

Top with chopped basil and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Laura