As summer fades, it’s time to enjoy the treasures that have lain hidden in our gardens all season long. Root vegetables are packed with healthy compounds and hearty flavors to carry us through the winter. Sweet Potatoes are packed with vitamins and polyphenols, making them arguably among the healthiest additions to your holiday table.
This week’s recipe for Chile-Glazed Sweet Potatoes puts a South-of-the-Border spin on this healthy autumn classic. It was sent to CCSA by our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody.
“I may not be Julia Child, but I can do pretty well with a simple recipe and a lot of enthusiasm.”
—Marlo Thomas
Chile-Glazed Sweet Potatoes
Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine
Rick Bayless (1996)
Notes
Sweet potatoes are sweet, yellow to deep orange-fleshed root vegetables with smooth skin. Confusingly, they are sometimes called yams (e.g., candied yams at Thanksgiving). A true yam is a dry, starchy white-fleshed root that has dark scaly skin; it is very low in β-carotene.
For a vegetarian dinner, black beans are a tasty accompaniment.
Ingredients
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 6 medium to small (scant 3 oz) dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded (dried ancho chiles are dark red, wrinkled, heart shaped, and about 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. They have a rich flavor, and range from mild to medium hot)
- 1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- ½ tsp cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
- Generous ¼ tsp black pepper
- Generous ⅛ tsp cloves
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- 3 pounds (~5 medium) sweet potatoes, unpeeled
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped orange zest (rind only) (rind is the colored part, without the white pith)
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 Tbsp honey
- Generous tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp melted butter or olive oil, plus a little extra for the pan
- Few Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 1─2 Tbsp thick cream, crème fraîche or sour cream, thinned with a little milk
Instructions
- To make ½ cup of chile seasoning paste, roast the unpeeled garlic on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft (they will blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel. Meanwhile, toast the chiles 1 or 2 at a time on the other side of the griddle or skillet by opening them flat and pressing down firmly with a spatula. When they crackle, and perhaps smoke, flip and press down to toast on the other side. Place in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and rehydrate for 30 minutes; stir regularly to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water. Combine the oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, and cloves in a food processor or blender; add rehydrated chiles, garlic and broth/water. Process to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few minutes. Press through a medium mesh strainer into a small bowl.
- Slice each sweet potato into 4 lengthwise wedges. Lightly butter or oil a 13×9-inch baking dish, and lay the wedges in single layer. Combine the chile seasoning paste with the orange zest, orange juice, and honey. Taste and season with salt (it should taste salty, since this is the seasoning for the sweet potatoes). Spoon evenly over the sweet potatoes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the optional butter or oil, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 45 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are almost fork tender. Raise the oven temperature to 425°F, uncover the sweet potatoes, baste with the juices, and bake until they are nicely glazed and the sauce has reduced to medium thickness, about 10 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with orange zest, chopped cilantro, and a drizzle of cream.