nature vs. nurture?

Dear Snookie,

Really? Jersey Shore? After your father and I strove our hardest to instill in you an appreciation for the finer things in life? Where did we go wrong? Maybe we didn't start early enough. Maybe we should have held a tv up to my stomach while I was carrying you and played endless reruns of Masterpiece Theatre. Would that have helped? Maybe not.

Maybe some things are best left in their natural state, allowed to be themselves, however unrefined as that might be. Take the lowly sweet potato. (Now, don't get all defensive - I'm not comparing you to a sweet potato.) Let's face it. Sweet potatoes aren't very elegant in their natural state. Cooks have been trying to fancify them for decades. Every November, all of the cooking magazines and blogs seem to have at least one recipe for the ubiquitous sweet potato casserole. You know the one. Sweet potatoes are cooked, whipped to a frenzy, insulted with the addition of additional sugars or orange juice, and then, just when you think they have been degraded beyond any point of redemption, they are put in a dish surrounded by marshmallows! This is kind of like putting a pink tutu on a bull mastiff. It just shouldn't be done.

I would rather let the tormented tuber shine on its own. That's why you will never find sweet potato casserole on my Thanksgiving table. I prefer a simpler, kinder treatment; just boil them, then slice and fry them in butter. The sugars in the potato caramelize on the outside, resulting in sweet buttery disks of delight.

Preparing sweet potatoes this way is simple, but a little tedious. The potatoes can be boiled early in the day, then peeled and fried just before serving. They have to be watched carefully as they are frying, because they will burn easily. The goal here is to fry them just until they start to develop a dark crust, and then remove them from the heat.

Well, I will sign off for now - your dad and I are going to sit down and watch reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies.

fried sweet potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 stick butter (add more as necessary)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add washed sweet potatoes to the boiling water, and boil until fork-tender. This will take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
3. Remove potatoes from water and cool until they are easy to handle.
4. Peel potatoes, and slice 1/4" to 1/2" thick. (make sure all slices are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly)
5. Melt butter in a large skillet.
6. Add potatoes to skillet and fry over medium heat. Do not overcrowd the pan. When they start to brown, flip them over and fry on the other side. Watch them carefully as they fry to avoid burning them.  (Fry them in batches if necessary, removing them to a warmed serving platter when done.)

a vegetarian attempt

Dear Mom,

John and I had an absolute blast hanging out in good old Rochester this last weekend.  Although we are in desperate need of detox after the "taste of Rochester" that we embarked on.  Between Tom Wahl's burgers, Salena's Mexican, a wine tour in the Finger Lakes, wings at Buffalo's Duff's, and a massive prime rib dinner at The Red Osier, we are still stuffed!  We've been wanting to get a little healthier, trying to eat vegetarian a couple of nights a week and maybe eating more fish and chicken, less beef; so now's as good a time to start as any. 

Despite the absolutely perfect grilling weather outside, I decided to stick to my guns and cook vegetarian last night.  This of course usually leads to my husband kicking and screaming and having a complete temper tantrum, but I think I made something that has convinced him that vegetarian is not so bad. 

vegetarian enchiladas

For the Sauce:
1 tbsp. canola or veggie oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 cup fire-roasted green chilis
1 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. corn starch (dissolved in 2 tbsp. water)
salt & pepper

For the Filling:
1-2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
2 small leeks, sliced
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 cup frozen corn
1 tsp. chipolte hot sauce (such as Tabasco brand)
salt & pepper

cooking spray
6 whole wheat flour tortillas
1 cup light mexican shredded cheese
light sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350.

For the sauce, in a medium saucepan saute onion until softened and browning slightly.  Add all sauce ingredients through cilantro.  Stir to combine over medium heat until warm.  Add dissolved corn starch, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  When the sauce is thickened and coating the back of a spoon, remove from heat. 

In a large microwavable bowl, combine all filling ingredients.  Add salt and pepper to taste, add more hot sauce if you dare.  Warm in the microwave. 

Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray and ladle 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom. Into each tortilla scoop about 1/2 to 1 cup filling, roll and place in baking dish, seam side down.  Slowly pour remaining sauce over filled tortillas, try to cover them completely.  Cover dish with foil and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and cover with cheese, return uncovered to oven for another 10 minutes until cheese is melted. 

Serve with sour cream.

cosmo's cooking notes:  Spinach would also be good in these.  If you have left over mashed sweet potatoes this is a great opportunity to use them.