Category — Meal Planning

This morning, I’m reminded of the very good “Thanksgiving Countdown”on Epicurious.  We’re down to two weeks before the big day, but you can look back over the past weeks’ tips for ideas as well.  This weekend’s task is to make things you can freeze, and this recipe for Sweet Potato Rolls With Dried Tart Cherries and Cardamom sounds divine . . . .

And in my mind, there’s no better way to pass a cold, rainy November Saturday in Boston than cooking and eating!

Cheers!

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Today’s recipe combines sweet potatoes, another treat from my CSA share, with Thanksgiving:  my sure-fire crowd-pleasing Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole recipe.  I make this for every Thanksgiving and people LOVE it.  It’s sweet, nutty, and because it’s a riff off an old Cooking Light recipe, it doesn’t break the calorie bank.  This is so tasty, I’ve been known to eat this for breakfast the morning after Thanksgiving (yes, leftover pie, too – no one ever said Thanksgiving weekend wasn’t a little bit of a nutritional nightmare).  If my SIL wants me to, I’ll make it this year, too, but I’ll use the local sweet potatoes I got in my share . . . sure to increase the deliciousness.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes, or until tender; drain.  Using a stand mixer, whisk the half-and-half with the next 4 ingredients (through eggs).  Change to the paddle attachment, add the potato to the egg mixture, and beat at medium speed until smooth.  Spoon the potato mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Combine the flour and sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine.  Add the chilled butter, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 

Toast the pecans in a small, dry skillet.  Stir the pecans into the flour and sugar mixture and sprinkle this over the potato mixture.  Cover and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the topping is browned and the potatoes are thoroughly heated. 

This will yield 18 1/2-cup servings.

If you want to make this ahead of time – make up your potato mixture and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.  Make up the streusel mixture and store it in a separate airtight container.  When you’re ready to bake, put the potatoes in your baking dish, top with the streusel, and you’re good to go.

What if you don’t have a stand mixer?  Not to worry – you can use a hand mixer or some serious elbow grease and a potato masher.  No food processor?  Cut the butter into the flour and sugar mixture with two knives.

Have a great weekend, all!

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Happy Saturday, all.  Today was beautiful ’round Boston - crisp, dry and brilliantly sunny.  This afternoon, I picked up my first Shared Harvest CSA distribution and wowza! do I have some gorgeous looking stuff to prepare in the coming weeks.

Here’s what I got:

• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Sweet red peppers
• Radicchio
• White potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Yellow onions
• Garlic
• Baby bok choy
• Escarole
• Napa cabbage
• Spinach
• Cilantro
• Red radishes
• Red and green leaf lettuce
• Hakeuei turnips
• Butternut squash
• Leeks
• Rutabaga
• Kohlrabi
• 10 lbs. of assorted apples
• 1 lb. of black calypso beans

A ton of stuff.  I’ve already mapped out some recipes for the coming week, including garlicky lentil soup, roasted lettuce, roasted radishes, curried Hakurei turnips, lentils with butternut squash and walnuts, pork tenderloin stir-fry with baby bok choy and clementines, and mmmm, a warm escarole salad with apples, candied walnuts and Saint Andre cheese.  Can’t wait! 

I’ll be posting recipes and providing commentary as I go along – there are a few things here I’ve never had . . . .  Stay tuned!

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