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Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Mashed Baked Sweet Potato with Aioli



I was trying to make sweet potato fries, but what I ended up with a smashed mess. I made the fries the same way I always do by seasoning with some olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika. Then I added some shredded cheese into the mix and that's when it took another direction. As I baked the fries, the cheese melted and cooked faster than the sweet potatoes, just to the point when the cheese became crispies. So in a last ditch effort to salvage what I had on the baking sheet, I decided to mash them. They were slightly soft and the consistency was just right for them. I added a little bit more shredded cheese and...voila! Baked mashed sweet potatoes.

For the "gravy" I made a simple aioli. I know you wouldn't find it paired together, but I've been known to pair sauces and condiments with dishes that don't really match. Some of you readers probably do the same thing. I also had some leftover egg yolks that I needed to use up. I was tempted to make a hollandaise sauce, but I didn't want to lug out another pan to clean, so I opted for a simple aioli. Again, this is something you wouldn't necessarily see paired with mashed sweet potatoes, usually you'd find them with meats and certain vegetables.

This is going to sounds totally weird, but they taste really great together. They really do. I dare not lie. You're just going to have to try this for yourself to see what I'm talking about.

Serves 2




Mashed Baked Sweet Potatoes with Aioli

3 small sweet potato (peeled and cut into strips)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
paprika
1 c shredded cheese
aioli (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375˚F

Season the sweet potatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well to combine. Then add half the shredded cheese and mix.

Place the sweet potatoes onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. The sweet potatoes should be soft and cheese melted.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the baking pan and mash with in a bowl. Mix in the remaining cheese.

Serve with the aioli.




Aioli
1 large garlic clove - crushed
2 egg yolks
juice of half lime
salt
pepper
1-2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp horseradish mustard

Whisk together the garlic and olive oil. Whisk in the egg yolks. Continually whisking add the lime juice and horseradish mustard. Season with some salt and pepper to taste.


29 comments:

Donna-FFW said...

I think this sounds extra delish with horseradish mustard.

Heather S-G said...

Sounds amazing to me! Happy mistakes (or mishaps, if you will) rock :D

Tangled Noodle said...

The tastiest dishes are the ones you least expect! I already love sweet potatoes but when you add cheese and then an aioli with a bit of bite from horseradish mustard, well, that's just a whole 'nother level of delight.

Debbie said...

Oh sounds delicious...love sweet potatoes!

Anonymous said...

I love these kind of delicious accidental recipes - those are the best! The mashed baked sweet potato sounds excellent and I do love your unique pairing with aioli!

Lauren said...

love it!! you salvaged it very well - I never though to add cheese to sweet potato, but it sounds awesome

vanillasugarblog said...

now this is a pairing!! hello yes.

Pam said...

I could eat just a big bowl of this for dinner and be totally happy. It looks really, REALLY tasty Jenn.

teresa said...

sometimes it's those kitchen messups that end up being the very best inventions. this looks amazing!

lisaiscooking said...

Great way to change your original plan! Sounds decadent with the aioli, and I'd like to taste it.

theUngourmet said...

Nice job! I would have gotten irritated and tossed it in the trash. Let this be a lesson to me! :D

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Looks good to me! I always eat my french fries with mayonnaise (or curry gravy) so this is not far off for me:)

Jenn said...

Donna, Debbie, 5 star, Pam, Teresa, Lisa, Ungourmet: Thanks.

girlichef: I agree.

Tangled, Dawn: ;-D

LK: I love adding cheese. It just adds another flavor.

Nutmeg: I love mayo with french fries, too. :D

Joy said...

A good chef always knows how to improvise :) Great post

Diana said...

Nice improvisation! I've never had cheese with my sweet taters before... actually think I'd love the sweet/savory combo! Yum!

Kelly @ EvilShenanigans said...

That is about the best looking thing I have seen all day! Now, I just need a spoon ... :D

Mary Bergfeld said...

I think I could like this. I love fried potatoes with mayonnaise. Why not sweet potatoes with aioli?

chow and chatter said...

looks tasty i love the salvage!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

Awesome flavor combo! Sounds like a wonderful delicious mistake!

Simply Life said...

Yum! I love this way of making sweet potatoes-sounds great!

Fresh Local and Best said...

That does sound delicious.

Jenn said...

Joy: True

Diana: Give it a try.

Kelly: ;-D

Mary: Exactly, right?

CC, Andrea, Simply Life, Fresh Local: thanks.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Your own homemade aioli. I'm impressed! And cheese with sweet potato is always good! You should have waited for the sweet potatoes to be baked before putting the cheese, I guess, but this turned out to be a lovely mishap!

Jenn said...

Sophia: Yeah. That was my initial mistake. But I'm happy with the way it turned out.

OysterCulture said...

Oh yum, I bet this is really good. I love aioli especially after the workout I get making it. What an inspiration.

Jenn said...

Oyster: Thanks.

Bianca said...

Don't you love it when mistakes turn into something equally or even better than the original?

Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction said...

Beautiful! If you hadn't said you made a mistake, I never would have known. Sounds delish!

Jenn said...

Bianca: I do.

Jen: ;-D

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