Somewhere along the way, someone decided that topping sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallows was childish, or kitschy, or pedestrian. Instead you’re supposed to mix up a streusel of chopped pecans, butter and brown sugar.
Well, I say forget that. Be who you are! I personally prefer the nostalgic crunch of toasted marshmallows. But if you’re a sweet potato sophisticate, I’ve included instructions for a yummy pecan topping here too.
Variety is the spice of life.
The secret to perfect, silky smooth sweet potatoes is to push them through a potato ricer or a food mill. You just can’t get results like that any other way. I really like my OXO food mill for this job.
Sweet Potato Casserole
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Prep time
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Total time
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
4 pounds sweet potatoes
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup butter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
Marshmallow Topping
10.5 oz bag mini marshmallows
Pecan Topping
¼ cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°. Rinse and dry the sweet potatoes, then prick the skin all over with a fork. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven.
Cool the potatoes, then peel, and process through a potato ricer or a food mill into a large bowl.
Stir in the kosher salt, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered 2-quart baking dish.
For the marshmallow topping: Bake casserole in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and spread the marshmallows evenly over the casserole. Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the marshmallows are golden brown.
If you prefer the pecan topping: In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup butter, flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of coarse meal. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, until topping is crisp and lightly browned.
3.2.1215
Roasted Asparagus with Dijon Sauce
nprivetteRecipes, Side Dishes, Vegetablesasparagus recipes, roasted asparagus, vegetable recipes0 Comment
Asparagus and hollandaise sauce is a popular combination, and for good reason. The creamy tang of the hollandaise is a great match for the bitter crunch of the asparagus. But homemade hollandaise sauce is kind of famously hard to get along with. Roasted asparagus is super easy and delicious, so I wanted to come up with an equally easy sauce to serve on top. It had to be quick and foolproof, using ingredients I generally tend to have on hand. I love the results. Elegant enough for company, easy enough for Tuesday night dinner.
How to Remove Stems from Asparagus
Hold the stem end in your left hand. Hold the other end in your right. Bend the asparagus upward with your left hand, keeping your right hand steady. The asparagus will snap off in the right place.
Roasted Asparagus with Dijon Sauce
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Total time
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
1 pound fresh asparagus, woody stems removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
½ lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put the asparagus in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then toss to coat evenly. Spread out into a single layer and roast in the preheated oven until tender, about 10 minutes.
Make the sauce by combining the mustard, mayonnaise, juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl, and whisking until creamy and smooth.
Transfer the asparagus to a serving platter and spoon the sauce on top.
3.1.09
Perfect Steamed Broccoli
nprivetteRecipes, Side Dishes, Vegetablesbroccoli recipes, vegetable recipes
I love me some broccoli. It’s the one and only green vegetable that I will happily sit and eat as a snack. (I once contemplated how much weight I could lose if I replaced two meals a day with a bowl of steamed broccoli. Answer = not much, if your third meal is a steak, loaded potato and two glasses of Cabernet).
Broccoli is my go-to side dish – easy enough for weeknight, elegant enough for company. It stores well in the fridge so it’s easy to keep it on hand. And if I serve a dinner with a heaping pile of nutritious broccoli on the plate, I don’t feel so bad about the fact that it’s usually accompanied by something cheesy, creamy, or buttery. Life is all about balance, people.
But while perfect steamed broccoli seems simple, it’s kind of easy to screw it up. I’ve turned out batches that were too-crunchy, too-mushy, flavorless, over-seasoned, cold, browned, burned, dull and just plain ugly. Then my friend Amy showed me a method where you saute over high heat, then steam in the saute pan. This put me on the right track.
Now, with much practice, I’ve developed a fool-proof method that gives me perfect, immodestly green, flavorful broccoli every time. And it’s quick as lightning – you can literally whip up this up in the time it takes to set the table.
So let’s raise our glass to yummy, healthy, easy food. (And let me know if you try that broccoli diet.)
You’ll need a large saute pan with a lid for this recipe.
A squeeze of lemon juice is a great finisher for this recipe, but don’t add it before it’s done cooking or it will dull the color of the broccoli.
Feel free to use your favorite butter substitute in place of butter. I do.
Perfect Steamed Broccoli
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Ingredients
10 oz. (4 cups) broccoli florets
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Instructions
Put a large non-stick saute pan over high heat, then add the butter and oil. As soon as the butter starts to bubble, add the broccoli. (Do NOT allow the butter to brown – this will happen quickly over high heat, so watch carefully.)
Saute the broccoli, stirring it in the pan to evenly coat it with the butter and oil. Once the broccoli has absorbed all the liquid and the bottom of the pan is dry, add ¼ cup water and cover immediately. Hold the lid on the pan while you shake it slightly to keep the broccoli moving. Keep cooking, keeping the lid on and shaking frequently, until all of the water has evaporated (2-3 minutes). (You may use more water for softer broccoli, or less if you prefer it crunchier.)
Remove from heat and leave in the pan until ready to serve – broccoli will lose heat rapidly once you put it on the plate.
I’m trying to think of a meat that doesn’t go well with mashed potatoes… nope, there’s not one. I guess that explains why I’m constantly pulling out this recipe when I need to round out a menu.
Lighten Up!
These potatoes are almost equally delicious if you substitute with low-fat cream cheese and sour cream, and your favorite butter substitute. I like Smart Balance.
Baked Mashed Potatoes
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This is a great make-ahead dish. Just prepare the recipe, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes
4 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, then rinse with cool water. Transfer to a large bowl.
Mash potatoes with a ricer or a potato masher. Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, onion salt, salt, and pepper until well blended. Transfer to a prepared casserole dish. Top with pieces of butter.
Asparagus and hollandaise sauce is a popular combination, and for good reason. The creamy tang of the hollandaise is a great match for the bitter crunch of the asparagus. But homemade hollandaise sauce is kind of famously hard to get along with. Roasted asparagus is super easy and delicious, so I wanted to come up with an equally easy sauce to serve on top. It had to be quick and foolproof, using ingredients I generally tend to have on hand. I love the results. Elegant enough for company, easy enough for Tuesday night dinner.