Holiday Cooking: Sweet Potatoes

I honestly can't believe that Thanksgiving is six days away. This year has flown!

As the holiday draws near, I keep finding delicious recipes I'd like to make. It seems most of them involve sweet potatoes. (And bourbon, of course...) Here are the most intriguing recipes I've found in the course of my holiday planning. I love the idea of putting a new spin on holiday classics; this helps balance out tradition and creativity.

Martha Stewart's Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

{image and recipe via Martha Stewart} 

Ingredients 

• 3 large sweet potatoes
•  1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
•  2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup honey
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until soft when pierced with a knife, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel, and discard skins.
2. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine cornmeal, milk, butter, brown sugar, spices, salt, and 1 cup water. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
3. Butter a 2-quart baking dish. Working in batches if necessary, place cornmeal mixture, sweet potatoes, flour, honey, eggs, and cream in a food processor. Process until smooth; pour into dish. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve. 

Sweet Potato Pie with Maker's Mark

{image and recipe via Maker's Mark Cookbook}

•  1 C. boiled mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 1/2 C. butter
• 1 C. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1/4 C. Maker's Mark Bourbon
• 1/4 tsp mace

Spiced Nut Crust

• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C. finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
• 6 Tbs. butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Prepare Spiced Nut Crust by combining ingredients, stir well. Press onto bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake crust for 10 minutes in preheated 350° (this will prevent sweet potato mixture from making crust soggy).
2. Boil potatoes in enough water to cover until well done, peel and mash.
3. For filling, cream butter and sugar. Add potatoes, eggs, lemon juice, bourbon and mace.
4. Pour into slightly baked crust and bake at 375° for 40-50 minutes, until set in the middle. 
   

Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Biscuits
{Image and recipe via Food Network}

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 heaping tablespoons sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
• 2 to 4 tablespoons milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate, large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. 
3. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. 
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to 1/2-inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. 
5. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Watch your oven: If the biscuits are browning too fast, lower the temperature.) 
   

Are there any new holiday recipes that you are planning to try this year?