Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Last Year's Post:  Turkey and Gruyere French Dip
Two Years Ago:   Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Do you ever have the feeling that the cosmos is trying to tell you something?  Last Wednesday my friend Robin sent me a recipe for Grilled Sweet Potatoes and raved about the taste.  Then on Thursday I found this little tidbit in the newspaper: 

"The National Turkey Federation estimates that 46 million turkeys will be served on Thanksgiving, but what’s surprising is that more than half — 53 percent — will be cooked outdoors on grills, barbecues or smokers, according to a survey by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. In addition, one in five hosts intend to cook their vegetables outdoors, and more than one in 10 will prepare their appetizers in the open air. Wishful research? Perhaps, given the association’s vested interest. But snow no longer warrants shutting down home grills." (The italics are mine.)

Finally on Friday I read another article that said people are looking for new twists on traditional side dishes for Thanksgiving.  OK, I get it!  No more hints are needed.  I therefore immediately headed into the kitchen and then to the grill, so I could pacify the cosmos by posting this recipe as a new grilled twist on Thanksgiving sweet potatoes.

I should mention that sweet potatoes, for me, are one of those foods that were ruined in childhood by their preparation method.  (Peaches and wax beans are two other foods I remember with particular horror - I can't eat either to this day.)  In the case of sweet potatoes, they were baked into mush, then mixed up with about a ton of brown sugar and topped with mini-marshmallows.  The whole thing reminded me of overly sweet baby food with gooey white lumps.  Luckily, that particular memory faded with time and distance so I was willing to try sweet potatoes (sans sugar in any form) a few years ago and to my surprise, I really like them when prepared in a savory way.  Score one for conquering our childhood phobias!

I particularly like this recipe because it's fresher and lighter than your typical Thanksgiving sweet potato concoction, and it can be served either warm or at room temperature.  My friend Jon in Phoenix just got a brand new smoker and is planning to smoke his Thanksgiving turkey - I think this would be the perfect side dish.  It would also pair beautifully with pork, duck or chicken in addition to turkey.  You could alter the dish by adding other vegetables or nuts or using different herbs - add cilantro for a southwest twist, add walnuts and tarragon for a french feel, or add a sprinkling of zatar seasoning for a middle eastern variation. During the summer, mix in a little barbecue seasoning and this would be a great side for grilled ribs.  But I tend to like simpler recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes - there are so many different competing flavors already on the plate that making complex side dishes seems like overkill.

Finally, I should also mention that sweet potatoes are a very healthy food - low in sodium, and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. The heart-healthy olive oil in this recipe actually helps the absorption of the vitamins. Sweet potatoes a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6 and potassium, and a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese.  That's more than you can say about most Thanksgiving dishes!   I hope you enjoy it - and thank you, Robin!

printable recipe

Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Serves 6

Note:  for a southwest version, add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and use cilantro as the herb.

2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes

¼ cup olive oil

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 green onions, cut into small pieces at a diagonal

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Lime wedges

¼ cup fresh herbs of choice – cilantro or thyme are good

  

In a large saucepan cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch and bring to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for approximately 15 minutes (depending on the size of the potatoes) or until a thin skewer may be inserted but the potatoes are not yet tender.  Drain the potatoes in a colander and rinse under cold water to cool.  When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes using a peeler or sharp knife and cut crosswise into ½” thick slices.

In a small bowl whisk together oil, salt, and cumin (if using) and brush some onto both sides of potato slices, reserving the remaining oil.

Prepare a grill for medium heat.  Grill potatoes on an oiled rack until golden and grill-marked, about 90 seconds per side.  Transfer to a bowl.  Whisk lime juice into remaining oil with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle over potatoes; toss gently.  Transfer to a platter or shallow bowl and sprinkle with green onions and fresh herbs.

Scones and Art

This blog is about interesting food, right?  Scones are a fairly interesting food in their own right - probably not something you have every day for breakfast - but how about a scone with blue cheese, green onions and spinach?  Now that's interesting.  Scones are surprisingly easy to make and freeze beautifully.  The next time you want a special breakfast make a batch of these the day before, then simply reheat the next morning while your coffee brews.

Before going on to the recipe, I want to point out the coffee cup in the picture above.  My friend Robin is an award-winning artist who works in several media.  I was fortunate to nab her series of iris coffee cups many years ago and treasure them still.  They are a most lovely creamy white color and each portrays an iris in a different stage of blossoming.  We also have several of her fabulous paintings.  I am so jealous of talented artists!  She recently mentioned a photograph of a white peony that I'm dying to see.

Anyway, on to scones.  There are many scone recipes out there with orange, cranberries, etc. etc. but I think these savory scones taste great.  Two different recipes were given to various family and friends - this one and a version with cheddar, green onions and bacon - and this recipe was the winner.  Any time a recipe wins against bacon, that's impressive!  If you don't happen to like blue cheese, feel free to substitute.

** clik here for a printable recipe **

Savory Breakfast Scones

Makes 12  scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter

4 oz crumbled blue cheese

6 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

3 oz fresh spinach, chopped

1-1/2 cups buttermilk, divided

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the stick of butter in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut.  While the butter is in the freezer, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Take the butter out and cut into small cubes.  Add the butter to the dry mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles small peas.  Alternately, pulse all ingredients in a food processor.  Stir in the blue cheese, green onions, and spinach by hand.

Add 1 cup of buttermilk to the mix and stir by hand just until all ingredients come together.  If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional buttermilk by small amounts until the dough can be formed into a ball.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured board.  Cut the dough into two pieces and pat each into a disk 5” in diameter.  The disks will be 1-1/2 to 2” tall.  Cut each disk into 6 wedges (like a pie) with a large knife. 

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place all 12 scones on the baking sheet.  Bake for 20-22 minutes until light brown.  Remove to a cooling rack to cool.

To serve, reheat in a microwave or toaster oven and serve with butter.