Sweet Potato Chipotle Chili ~ adapted from Tasty Kitchen

1 lb sweet potatoes; peeled and cut to 1/2 inch dice
salt and fresh ground black pepper; to taste
2 T olive oil; divided
1/2 one white onion; quartered
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 t cumin
ground cinnamon, cloves, and allspice; dash of each
1 c dark beer; recommended, Guinness
1 ~ 28 oz can whole tomatoes; drained and roughly chopped
2 whole chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; halved, seeded and chopped
1/2 c barbecue sauce
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 c frozen corn kernels
1 ~ 15 oz can black beans; drained and rinsed
3 c tortilla chips, if desired; crushed
Chipotle Tabasco sauce; optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Place sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with one tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as desired and bake approximately 8–10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are just tender.

Heat large heavy bottom pot over medium heat and add one tablespoon olive oil. Sauté onions until soft and caramelized. Add garlic, cumin, and spices and cook for an additional minute until spices are fragrant. Stir and scrape pot constantly to avoid burning.

Add beer to deglaze pot, scraping all fond off bottom. Add tomatoes, chipotle peppers, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, frozen corn and beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add sweet potatoes and additional salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls, top with Tabasco and crushed tortilla chips if desired. Serves 6.


Chef's Note: This recipe is spicy! No matter how much sour cream I added, I could not eat it in a bowl. However, Big D used it to make nachos with loads of cheese and sour cream and it was a-maz-ing. Next time, I will halve the amount of chipotle peppers and see what I think. Stay tuned...

Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes

4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 c pure maple syrup
1/2 c chilled butter (1 stick), divided
1/2 t salt
1/3 c flour
1/3 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c pecans, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400°. Butter 9x13 baking dish. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes and cook until water returns to boil, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Arrange potatoes in prepared dish, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with salt, pour maple syrup over and dot with 3 T chilled butter. Cover with foil and bake until potatoes are almost tender, about 25 minutes.*

Mix flour and brown sugar in medium bowl. Add remaining 5 T butter and mix (with hands) until large crumbs form. Mix in pecans and sprinkle over potatoes. Return to oven and bake uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Serves 12.

Chef's Note: *May be prepared a day ahead up to this point and refrigerated. Return to room temperature, sprinkle topping over and bake for 20 minutes to finish.