Planning your Thanksgiving menu already? I know I am. I love this holiday, it’s my favorite. This is a food lovers holiday because let’s face it… Thanksgiving is all about the food. Yeah, there’s that be thankful part and that family part, but we all look forward to the food. We all think about the food.
And then we all gain 5 pounds because of the food.
Kyle and I always have a very busy Thanksgiving. My family tends to do more of a brunch-lunch type meal. We love to make plenty of appetizers and then have a Thanksgiving lunch (I am so excited about my grandmothers stuffing, I could eat that everyday for a year and still want more). After that we go to Kyle’s Mom’s side of the family for lunch number two. Next stop? To his Dad’s side of the family for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!
This is our 4th Thanksgiving together, by the end of it we will have shared 12 Thanksgiving meals together, in less than 4 years. That’s a lot of turkey, a lot of pumpkin pie and a lot of sweet potatoes!
This year my grandma asked me if I would bring a sweet potato side dish to our Thanksgiving feast and I already know what I am making. These splendid orange scented sweet potatoes!
Orange Scented Sweet Potatoes
yield: 4 portions
1 lb Sweet Potatoes
2 TBS Butter
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1/4 tsp Orange Zest
2 TBS Orange Juice
1 Egg
Black Pepper. topping
Additional Butter, topping
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the sweet potatoes to the middle with a thin knife a few times all over and roast for 45 minutes. Remove when tender and let cool. (Lower the oven temperature to 350.)
2. Cut the potato in half long ways and scoop out the tender sweet potato. Add to a food processor and also add every other ingredient. Puree until very smooth, very creamy, and lump free.
3. Scoop the potato mixture into a small baking dish or four individual sized ramekins. You can add more butter on top (or not if that’s a little too unhealthy) though I think it’s better when you do. Sprinkle a little bit of black pepper on top and bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm. (Multiply recipe as many times as needed.)
The potatoes are so creamy and smooth and the white pepper really works. Baking the potatoes is necessary with the egg added, but it’s also what helps them become ‘orange scented‘. They have a hint of orange in the flavor, but the smell is just amazing.
I love the classic ol sweet potato casserole with the sweet potatoes, marshmallows and nuts. But I really enjoy sweet potatoes with savory flavors. This would be a great side dish for your Thanksgiving dinner. I am already imagining these potatoes with my grandmothers stuffing, rolls and gravy.
Thanksgiving please hurry up and get here!
