APPLE AND GINGER SPICED SWEET POTATOES
Things Cooks Love by Sur La Table & Marie Simmons The potatoes for this simple mashed sweet potato dish can be boiled or baked. Cook them in their skins and then peel them and pass the soft flesh through a potato ricer. If you lack a ricer, you can use a food mill or even an old-fashioned potato masher. Any color sweet potato or any mix of colors can be used, such as orange-fleshed Red Garnets or Jewels and cream-colored Mannas. A splash of apple juice and a bit of finely grated ginger add a fresh spark to this old favorite. Prep: 10 min Cook Time: 35 min Serves 4
Implements: Large Saucepan, Colander, Paring Knife, Wooden Spoon, Potato Ricer, Pepper Mill
Ingredients • 2 pounds sweet potatoes (see headnote) • 1 cup unsweetened apple juice • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger • Coarse salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives or thinly sliced green onion tops, for garnish
Directions 1. Place the sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover partially, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 30 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain in a colander and let cool. Use a paring knife to pull off the skins. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
2. Rinse and dry the saucepan you used for cooking the potatoes. Add the apple juice, butter, and ginger, place over low heat, and warm, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat.
3. Rest the potato ricer on the rim of the pan holding the apple juice mixture. Half fill the ricer with cooked potatoes and press them through. Repeat until all the potatoes have been pureed.
4. Season the potatoes with salt and a grinding of pepper. Reheat over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until hot. Spoon into a warmed serving dish and garnish with the chives.
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