RSS

Category Archives: Sides

Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Walnuts

20 Nov
Sweet Potatoes and Toasted Walnuts

Sweet Potatoes and Toasted Walnuts

Sweet potatoes go very well with the main dishes served at most holiday functions. Rather than mashing the sweet potatoes or giving them the casserole treatment, try this dish of Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Walnuts.

The kicker is the sauce. It’s sweet, tangy and slightly acidic and blends well with the nuttiness of the sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/2 TBSP cane sugar vinegar (or any other sweet vinegar)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp Creole mustard (or dijon if you can’t find Creole)
  • 2 tsp maple syrup (the real stuff)
    • Sauce for Roasted Sweet Potatoes

    Sauce for Roasted Sweet Potatoes

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and back until toasted (about 6-8 minutes). Remove from oven to cool. Increase oven temperature to 400F.
  3. Cut sweet potatoes lengthwise into wedges then toss in 1 TBSP of olive oil. Place them in a greased baking dish and season with salt and pepper.
    4. Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Walnuts

    Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Walnuts

  4. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, tossing occasionally, until tender.
  5. When sweet potatoes are done, let cool then transfer to a serving platter or dish.
  6. Whisk together remaining oil with maple syrup, Creole mustard and sugar cane vinegar. Drizzle over sweet potatoes and garnish with walnuts.

Creole mustard and cane sugar vinegar may be hard to find depending on where you’re located. Just use the substitutions mentioned in the ingredients list if you don’t have access to the ingredients I used.

You can even use these wedges as a bed for sliced turkey or ham this holiday season. The sauce alone will ensure you go back for seconds.

 
2 Comments

Posted by on November 20, 2011 in Cookin', Recipes, Sides

 

Tags: , , , ,

Recipe: Grits Souffle

16 Nov
Cooking the Grits

Cooking the Grits

If you’re looking for a Southern dish to accompany your holiday feast(s), try this Grits Souffle. It’s a great substitution for cornbread dressing.

The bacon, jalapeño, chives and cheese all complement the grits very well. This recipe is a little time sensitive, but it doesn’t require too much attention.

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup stone-ground grits
  • 1 cup chopped bacon
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
  • 2 cups grated cheddar
  • 2 TBSP chives
  • 4 cups milk or chicken broth
    • Grits Souffle Ready to Bake

    Grits Souffle Ready to Bake

  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Unsalted butter (for casserole dish)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Butter a 2-quart casserole or baking dish.
  3. Bring 4 cups of milk or chicken broth (or any combo of the two) to a simmer in a large saucepan, gradually whisking in the grits.
  4. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer the grits, stirring often, until grits begin to thicken. Continue cooking and stirring for approximately 1 hour. (If the grits get too thick, add in an additional 1/4 cup of liquid as necessary.)
  5. Remove from heat and let cool.
    6. Grits Souffle

    Grits Souffle

  6. Meanwhile, place chopped bacon in a separate bacon dish and cook in over for approximately 20-30 minutes (until crisp). Transfer to paper towels to drain when crisped.
  7. Whisk eggs and cream in medium bowl and whisk into grits in 3 additions.
  8. Stir in 1 3/4 cups cheddar cheese, chives, jalapeño, bacon, salt and pepper.
  9. Transfer grits mixture to buttered casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
  10. Bake dish until golden and just set in the middle, about 1 hours.
  11. Let cool for 10 minutes then serve.

This dish is guaranteed to be a hit at your holiday festivities. Feel free to add additional bacon or jalapeño to flavor it to your palette.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on November 16, 2011 in Cookin', Recipes, Sides

 

Tags: , ,

Newer posts →