Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

One of the biggest disadvantages of growing up in the 80's was the lack of variety and flavor that existed on dinner plates. There was no such thing as the Food Network, the internet did not exist in households, cooking magazines consisted of Redbook and the only cookbook on our shelf was the "Joy of Cooking" which in our house, when opened, the seams cracked as seams do when a book goes completely unused. On top of this, my Mom was busy being the 80's superwoman which meant she did everything that was expected of a 50's housewife while working the job of a man. My Mom was and still is incredible so I will not give her flack on what wound up on our dinner plates. There was a protein, a starch and a vegetable and fast food never made an appearance and I think that is quite a feat for everything she was juggling.

So, that said, I like to put as much variety on my son's plate as possible and to that end, I absolutely adore sweet potatoes! Not only do they look appetizing which is vital in getting it into the child's mouth but I love the taste. I never had these growing up and I remember tasting them for the first time in my early 20's and falling in love on the spot. You don't even have to use this recipe. Sweet potatoes can be peeled, cut into spears, tossed with olive oil and salt and roasted at 420 for 45 minutes and still be amazing. However, this recipe does dress them up quite a bit and can be a special treat. Enjoy!

**P.S. Hug your Mom, tell her you love her and everything she did/does for you.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
pinch of cardamon
pinch cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
kosher or fleur de sal to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into speared fries. Place the spears on a rimmed sheet pan, set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Pour the oil and sugar mixture onto the sweet potatoes and toss together with a spoon or clean hands. Place in the oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes until tender. Turn the pan once and re-toss the mixture with a spatula halfway through roasting.

Sweet Potato Banana Pancakes with Pecan Cinnamon Butter and Spiced Rum Whipped Cream

First off, it's early and I was up late last night watching the Golden Girls and flipping through cookbooks. Really, I ask you, is there a better way to spend a Friday night? I think not.

Anyway, with my evening of craziness and the little guy waking me up at 6 am, I needed some serious coffee. Hence, the coffee picture. That cup saved me from tripping over the trucks that currently litter my kitchen floor. So really, the picture of the coffee is more of a safety measure than just a picture of a cup of coffee.

Now, about these pancakes. I have been playing around with this recipe for quite a while on paper. Finally, with an over-ripe banana calling for me on my counter and a sweet potato that would be going to the dark side soon, I decided to do a test run. The pancakes alone are good but put them with the pecan butter, syrup and rum whipped cream and you will be in a very happy place.

This dish reminds me of the Bongo Room in Chicago where they have items on the menu like Blueberry Cheesecake Pancakes and Chocolate Tower French Toast. I used to frequent that place every Sunday morning before my shorty came along and I highly recommend it to anyone who is in the South Loop or Wicker Park neighborhoods. Have a Mimosa and a crazy pancake dish for me! If you are not in Chicago, just make this dish with all the toppings, put on some funky music, imagine being surrounded by a bunch of hipsters and poof, you are at the Bongo Room! Enjoy! AJ – xo.

Recipe :

Pancakes:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of pumpkin pie spice
2 cups whole milk
1 medium banana mashed
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
5 teaspoons melted butter
2 eggs
1 sweet potato, skinned, roasted and pureed

Mix together the dry ingredients with a fork. Whisk the wet ingredients with the pureed sweet potato and banana until smooth. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

On a griddle, melt a tablespoon of butter and spread it all around. Place 1/4 cup of the batter on the griddle and cook until the pancakes puff up. Flip and do a couple minutes on the other side.

Serve hot with a chunk of the pecan cinnamon butter, maple syrup and a dollop of rum whipped cream.

Pecan Cinnamon Butter:

1/4 cup pecans toasted, cooled and chopped fine
1/2 pound butter softened (I used Kerry Gold salted)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Mix all of the above ingredients together in a stand mixer. Dump mixture onto parchment or wax paper and mold into a log. Wrap and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon rum
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Add in the rum, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon and whip until stiff peaks form. Serve!