Recipe for the Month of November 2004
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Orange Nut Sweet Potatoes
Courtesy of Mary Goodnight
A few years ago, while living in the Pacific Northwest, we had a very memorable Thanksgiving. Two other couples in our neighborhood decided against making the long trip to the East Coast for the holiday that year. Instead of having a turkey dinner at a restaurant or making mini-Thanksgiving dinners for 2 people, we decided to celebrate together. We all chipped in for the turkey and then brought side dishes and desserts that were traditional at our own family gatherings. Our neighbor, Mary brought these sweet potatoes, which were truly the best we ever tasted. Since she was kind enough to pass her recipe on to us, we thought we would share it with you.
P.S. – Judy left with the turkey carcass and brought homemade turkey soup to the others a few days later!
Debra Crandall
Ingredients:
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2 lbs. sweet potatoes or yams (or 1 lb. of each)
Directions:
Peel potatoes and cut into 1” cubes
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2/3 cup sugar
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4 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
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1 teaspoon salt
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1 cup orange juice
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2 tablespoons butter
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¼ cup chopped walnuts
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1 teaspoon fresh orange peel (more if you want a more intense orange flavor)
Boil potatoes until halfway done
Place potatoes in a casserole dish
In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt.
Gradually add orange juice. Cook and stir until thickened.
Add butter and orange peel, stir until butter melts.
Pour over potatoes.
Sprinkle with walnuts and cover.
Bake in a 350-degree oven until done (about 20 – 30 minutes)
Hint: Not all of us are fortunate enough to have double ovens. On a holiday like Thanksgiving where there are a lot of side dishes, it’s difficult to juggle the oven cooking of a big turkey and several casserole dishes. I try to cook as much as possible (such as these sweet potatoes) the day before. Since the turkey has to rest and then be carved, you can re-heat your sides in the oven at that time. And don’t forget about using your toaster oven on the bake setting for smaller dishes. It will take longer to re-heat but it will free up space in your oven. We were given a new toaster oven as a gift but held on to the old one since it still worked. Both have come in handy on the holidays when we were cooking for a big crowd.