sweet potatoes

Will I never learn!? I am not a spring chicken any more. I don't bounce back quite as fast either! Today I went out and dug up the sweet potato patch. My body is really, really unhappy with me. My shoulders are getting stiffer as the day wears on and my butt-tocks (as Forrest Gump would say), well it hurts to sit on them.

Thank goodness Sister Suzy showed up. She dug the last five feet or so, or I would probably still be out there whining and trying to get that last little bit dug up. We filled a big plastic tote with potatoes. We got about 100 pounds or so.

I will put a sheet of cardboard under the dining room table to spread the potatoes out in a single layer to cure. I am looking forward to baked sweet potato, sweet potato pie and sweet potatoes chips.

Baked Sweet Potato

My mother learned to make baked sweet potatoes from an old black gentleman by the name of John Horn. She meet him in the late '40s. He was a junk dealer in Parsons, Kansas.

Scrub your sweet potatoes, use a russet size baking potato. Wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven until tender. Break open the skin. Put a shake of salt on and a couple pats of butter. Taste for sweetness. Your potato may need a little sprinkle of sugar or a drizzle of honey. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Pie

You can use your favorite pumpkin pie recipe. In my case that would be my Aunt Olive's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe.

1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 eggs separated
2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup pumpkin or sweet potato, cooked and pureed
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 cup heavy cream

Soften gelatin in cold water. Combine egg yolks and 1 cup sugar in saucepan; beat until thick. Add pumpkin(or sweet potato), milk, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thick. Remove from heat. Add softened gelatin; stir until dissolved. Chill until mixture begins to thicken.
Beat egg whites in mixing bowl until foamy. Gradually add 1/2 of sugar, beat until stiff peaks form. Beat cream and last 1/2 cup sugar until stiff; fold gently but thoroughly into gelatin mixture; them fold in egg whites. Spoon into pie crust. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours. If desired, garnish with whipped cream.

Edit: 11/25/2010 I cut the sugar to 1 cup total and it was sweet enough. Use 1/2 cup sugar with the egg yolks and skip the 1/2 cup sugar in the cream. Judy

Sweet Potatoes Chips

I found this recipe on the FoodNetwork.com with some changes of my own.

enough sweet potatoes for your family, about 4 bakers for us
enough vegetable oil for deep-frying

spice mixes for shaking on after frying
Savory
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Sweet
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne powder(optional)
pinch cinnamon

Peel sweet potatoes and discard skin(duh). Slice in thin chips. Place in a bowl of ice water for 1 hour. Drain in a colander; layout on paper towels; pat dry.

Heat oil in a large pot to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry potatoes in batches for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.(Mine take a little longer because I don't get them super thin.) Lift chips out with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Season with the spice mixtures and serve immediately.

Ouch! I found a new ache, whine, whimper, whine. My Knees! I think it is going to be a 3 Ibuprofen night! Sniffle!

Have a good day!

Judy