Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Chipotles

I pulled this recipe from the NY Times back in 2003 and have made it every Turkey Day since. It is pretty easy, once you get past the scooping of the flesh from the roasted potatoes and it is fantastic: sweet without being cloying and balanced with the heat of the chipotle chiles. You can puree the chiles and keep it in a tupperware in the back of the fridge until the cows come home (or it develops fuzz, whichever comes first.)

Adapted from Bobby Flay, Bolo and Mesa Grill

Time: 45 minutes

5 pounds (about 10 medium or 5 large) sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup

3/8 cup crème fraîche (yeah, its ok to go 1/2 c with this one.)

4 teaspoons purée from canned chipotles (i.e., take a can from the Latin Foods section of the supermarket, throw it in the blender or the mini food processor, and dump it into a tupperware. If you are scared of the heat, put in less.)

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Salt to taste.

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes on large baking sheet, bake until soft, 35 to 40 minutes for medium potatoes, up to 1 hour for large.

2. Meanwhile, combine syrup, créme fraîche, chipotle purée, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

3. When potatoes are tender, remove from oven, slice in two lengthwise. Scoop hot flesh into a potato ricer or food mill, purée into bowl with other ingredients. Stir with rubber spatula to combine. Potatoes should be light and fluffy. Taste for seasoning, transfer to warm serving bowl, serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Chicken Salad #2

This fantastic salad is from Nancy Silverton's "Twist of the Wrist" book. Amazing book and great recipe. Chicken Salad #1 is good also, but requires bacon, which I just don't do too often. But this entree salad is terrific for a hot day (like today!)


1 1/2 lb roasted chicken meat, shredded**
1 c. chipotle mayo (recipe below)
10 c watercress and or arugula
sea salt (can use kosher if you don't have sea salt)
1 avocado, chopped
olive oil
lime

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add 3/4 c of the chipotle mayo (you can do less...I usually do 1/2 cup) and toss to coat.

Divide the greens evenly among 4 plates and sprinkle with sea salt. Mound some chicken onto the greens and then top with 1/4 avocado. Drizzle oil and squeeze a few drops of lime juice on top of the avocado. Sprinkle with more sea salt and pepper to taste.

Chipotle Mayo:

1 cup mayo
1/4 c finely chopped cilantro leaves
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 t pureed chipotle peppers (buy can of chipotle peppers from supermarket, like Ralphs in Latino section, dump contents of can in food processor and blitz. Put in tupperware container in fridge where it will stay good for a long long long time...even years if you put a thin layer of oil on top.)
1 t kosher salt

Blend together in a bowl. You can save the rest in the fridge for sandwiches and more salad throughout the week.

**for those of you who don't have a roasted chicken around, you can take two bone in and skin on breasts (I suggest kosher), put them on a cookie sheet lined with foil and spread olive oil on top. Salt and pepper them and put them in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 min. Best roast chicken ever. Sometimes, I just eat these for dinner with a veg.