Just to be different, and hopefully a bit healthy this past Thanksgiving, I decided to try something new. I was thinking of Figs, and of Sweet Potatoes... what a delightful combination those could be, I thought.
I was not prepared to be blown away by the results, but that's what happened to me on Thanksgiving day when I sampled my results.
The sweets in this photo are a bit more "done" than they might have been-good thing this was the repeat and not the Thanksgiving presentation.
Here's how I did it:
Sweet Potatoes
3 large sweet potatoes or yams - peeled and cubed (slightly larger than bite-sized chunks)
1 T coconut oil
1/2 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger - roughly chopped
kosher salt
Warm oil in your baking pan until liquefied. Put sweet potatoes and ginger in pan and toss to coat all pieces with oil. Add salt.
Bake at 385 for 30 minutes-add Orange Fig glaze, toss lightly and finish baking (another 20-30 minutes or until chunks are fork tender)
Orange, Ginger, Fig Glaze
about 1 or 1 1/2 T of Dalmatia Fig Spread
1/2 - 3/4 cups orange juice
1/2 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger - finely chopped
1 t coconut oil
melt oil in saucepan, lightly sautee finely chopped ginger, add orange juice and fig spread and bring to boil stirring frequently until it thickens slightly.
Whipped Fig Butter
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1/4 c milk or half-and-half
1-2 T fig spread (or more to taste)
Whip butter and milk until fluffy - add fig spread 1 tablespoon at a time until it has the fig flavor you desire. Spoon into dish or pipe into little shapes for your guests-this depends on your level of commitment and fanciness.
Serve cooked yams with a bit of the whipped butter and sigh with a delirious contentment.
