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Do you eat sweet potatoes at any other time of the year other than Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter? If you don’t, you should. When I think of sweet potatoes I picture a skillet or casserole dish filled with candied sweet potatoes. There are many more ways of fixing this orange colored veggie and I intend to give you some recipes for just that. I have always cooked the potatoes in boiling water or else bought them at the grocery store, canned and ready to heat...in brown sugar and butter. When I was in Homecaring I had a client who asked if I’d bake a sweet potato for her and at that moment I was introduced to baked sweet potatoes.

This is how she told me to bake them––scrub them with a vegetable brush and dry the skins. Bake in a hot oven (425 degrees) for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size.

When they’re about half done, prick the skins several times with a fork to let the steam escape. Eat them as you would a baked white potato or let them cool a bit, remove from the shell and mash.

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Now let’s do something with this orange veggie other than just candying them. These fries are minus the fat as they’re baked and absolutely delicious. Yes, we’ve tried them.

CRISPY SWEET POTATO FRIES

2 lbs. large sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 T. olive oil

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper (or coarse ground pepper)

Halve each potato peel and cut in 1/2-inch wedges. Toss with oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a non-stick baking sheet (or lightly greased sheet). Bake at 450 degrees, turning once, until browned and crisp, about 35 minutes.

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This casserole makes a great side dish for pork or ham.

PRALINE/SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

4 medium sweet potatoes

2 eggs

1/2 c. brown sugar, divided

2 T. butter, melted

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. pecans

1/4 c. melted butter

Cook sweet potatoes in water to cover until tender. Peel and mash in large bowl. Beat in eggs, 1/4 c. brown sugar, butter and salt.

Spoon mixture into a 1 qt. buttered casserole. Arrange pecans over top. Sprinkle with rest of brown sugar; drizzle with melted butter. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

orange sauce

1/3 c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1/8 t. salt

1 t. grated orange peel

1 c. orange juice

1 T. lemon juice

2 T. butter

Combine all sauce ingredients (except butter) in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring till sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Serve warm sauce over casserole. Serves 6.

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It’s apple season and sweet potatoes and apples go so well together.

SWEET POTATOES WITH APPLES

1 T. plus 1 t. unsalted margarine

3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.) peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 large sweet apple (Delicious) cored and sliced thin, crosswise

1 T. light brown sugar

pinch ground nutmeg

Grease a 9-inch pie pan with 1 teaspoon margarine. Lay the sweet potato and apple slices in the pan in a circle, alternating and overlapping the slices.

Mix the brown sugar and nutmeg together and sprinkle over the potatoes and apples; dot with remaining margarine.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or till potatoes are tender when poked with a fork. Serves 4.

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This is a great dinner roll and so easy to make.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

2 c. flour

1 T. baking powder

1-1/8 t. salt

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. mashed sweet potatoes (2 small potatoes)

4-5 T. milk

In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening and potatoes until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough milk just until dough clings together. Knead lightly on a floured surface. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter and put on lightly greased baking sheet. (If you don’t have a biscuit cutter, use a glass.)

Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 1-1/2 dozen biscuits. If too many, freeze in freezer bag and thaw as needed.

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Thought for the day: Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

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