025: baked sweet potatoes

look!  real, non-birthday festivity food!  this is my mom's baked sweet potato recipe with my own personal spin.  it's easy to make, and pretty much delicious.  prep time is about 10-15 mins, and bake time was probably around half an hour to 45 minutes.  the sweet potatoes are the dish on the left, and the cranberry recipe is coming up as soon as i revise it a little bit.

equipment:
vegetable peeler (optional)
knife
glass baking pan (i used a 9x13 for 4 potatoes)
small mixing bowl

ingredients:
as many sweet potatoes (yams) as people
butter (melted)
cinnamon
cayenne pepper
ginger
nutmeg

steps:
preheat oven to 350 degrees.  wash and peel each sweet potato.  then cut them into 1/4 inch thick slices so that they resemble chips or disks (see picture above).

mix together the topping, which consists of cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and ginger.  i also added a few grates of fresh nutmeg.  for 4 potatoes, i used about 2 T. of cinnamon, about 3/4 t of cayenne pepper, and 1/4 t. ginger as well as the nutmeg.

place the sliced potatoes in rows (almost like fallen dominoes) in a glass baking pan.  the drizzle the melted butter over the top of the potatoes (this ensures that the topping will stick).  sprinkle on the topping, and bake until the potatoes are soft.  honestly, i think it's impossible to overcook a sweet potato, and i wasn't paying attention to how long i left them in the oven, but it was probably somewhere between half an hour and 45 minutes.  let them cool a bit before serving, but do serve them warm. 

time: 10 minuets prep, 30-45 minutes bake
difficulty: 1 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2◊ (4.5 out of 5 stars)
suggestions for variation:  play around with the exact mix and proportion of your spices to best suit your tastes.  i, for example, love cinnamon, but am not a big ginger gal, so my proportioning might be a little off for your tastes.

enjoy!
-kl

003: tortilla española

this is an incredibly popular spanish dish. and for those of you not in the know, i have a freakish obsession with all things spain- and spanish-related, including living in spain this past summer. this dish, kind of a cross between a quiche and an omelet, was served on many occasions in my time there. usually, it was served as a tapa, or appetizer dish, but it can definitely be served as an entree as well. prep time is about 20 minutes, and bake time is a half an hour.



equipment:
paring knife
12" skillet
measuring cups
slotted spoon
medium bowl
colander
pie pan (at least 9" x 1 1/2")


ingredients:
1/2 c. olive oil (i recommend spanish olive oil, as opposed to italian, but any kind would work)
1 clove minced garlic
2 c. potatoes (this took me one large baking potato)
1/2 red onion
1/3 red pepper
1/2 c. diced ham (this took me 3 slices of thickly sliced deli ham)
6 eggs
salt


steps:
1.) preheat oven to 350 degrees. pour olive oil and minced garlic into skillet over medium heat.

2.) cut peeled potato into 1/4" slices, and cut into quarters or sixths from there (bite sized pieces).

3.) when sizzling, add potatoes to olive oil and garlic, and let cook for 5 minutes, turning once.

4.) as the potatoes begin cooking, dice the ham, red onion, and red pepper. add these to the mix 5 minutes after the potatoes have begun. let simmer until onions are transparent, being sure to stir frequently. salt to taste.

5.) in the mean time, beat the 6 eggs together.

6.) when onions are transparent, pour onion and potato mixture into a colander to get rid of excess oil.

7.) pour enough of the beaten eggs into greased pie pan to cover the bottom. add about half the onion and potato mixture to pie pan. add about half of the remaining eggs, followed by the rest of the onion and potato mixture, and finished with the rest of the eggs.

8.) bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

serve either hot or cold, keep refrigerated.


time: 50 minutes
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦◊ (4 stars out of 5)
serving suggestions: typically, this dish is served with either mayonnaise (sounds weird, but tastes wonderful!) or ketchup, but i would also suggest salsa or tabasco.


enjoy!
-kl