Earlier this year, I met with the Mirror Indy team to discuss the specifics of our working together. It had always been a dream of mine to do food writing in an official way, and they were looking for a freelance writer. It felt like a perfect match.
During the meeting, someone had the ingenious idea of starting a series called “Potluck Party.” The premise? We’d pick a food theme, then invite some foodie folks to cook a dish and join us for an evening of delicious bites and hearty conversation. Recorded for your viewing pleasure.
Excuse me? You want me … to be a ham on camera, eat food and run my mouth about it with self-assured, unshy people I admire and who I know can cook?
That’s a no-brainer. Put it on the calendar!
We chose sweet potatoes as the first theme. Apropos of the holiday season, but relevant all the time. Though they aren’t as controversially debated as mac and cheese, potato salad or gumbo, we know folks can be real particular with their consumption of “yams.”
I thought hard about who I wanted to invite.
Don Watts — known for his delicious cheesecake in all its forms: jars, ice cream and whole pies — had to be a call. The way his brain works enthralls me. Was this a selfish choice? Yes. Do I care about judgment? No.
Another purely self-centered choice: Januarie York. She’s a good friend and one of the most prolific poets and artistic creatives I know. The best pepper jelly and the best short rib ragu I’ve ever had came from her hands.
I was also grateful when CeCee Lawson of Stargazer adjusted her schedule and accepted my invitation. She’s an educator, mentor, caterer and a genuinely genius chef. She truly exhibits how well she studies and knows the intricacies of food methodologies.
We had a really good time. So please take a moment to join us for “Potluck Party: Battle of the Sweet Potatoes.”
Share it, like it, love it.
Don Watts’ Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
Sweet potato mixture:
- 1 large (1-pound) sweet potato, with skin
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (9-inch) par-baked extra-deep pie crust
Cheesecake batter:
- 2 packages cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
- Place whole sweet potato in pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Boil until tender when pierced with a fork, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove sweet potato from the pot and run under cold water. Remove and discard skin. Break sweet potato flesh apart and place in a bowl. Add butter and mix with an electric mixer (or food processor) until well combined.
- Add sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla; beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
- In separate bowl (or stand mixer), add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla and flour. Mix until combined and smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Mix until just incorporated. (Reserve ¼ cup of mixture for garnish.)
- Pour cheesecake mixture into bottom of par-baked pie crust (about 1/3 up the sides). Carefully spoon sweet potato mixture on top. Place dollops or reserved cheesecake batter on top and swirl with a toothpick to create a decorative pattern.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.
CeCe Lawson’s Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts
with candied bacon, hot honey garlic glaze, pepitas, smoked blue cheese and craisins
Ingredients
Roasted vegetables:
- 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1 ½ lbs. brussels sprouts, halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Candied bacon:
- ½ pound thick-cut bacon, chopped
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Hot honey garlic sauce:
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Dash smoked paprika
- Pinch cayenne (optional)
Finishing and garnish:
- ⅓ cup smoked blue cheese
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas
- ¼ cup cherry-flavored craisins
- Fresh thyme sprig
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables: Roast sweet potatoes at 400°F for 15 minutes. Add brussels sprouts and continue roasting for 20–25 minutes.
- Prepare candied bacon: Bake bacon and brown sugar at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Hot honey garlic sauce: Sauté garlic in butter, add honey, hot sauce, vinegar, smoked paprika, cayenne. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble: Combine vegetables, drizzle sauce, top with bacon, blue cheese, pepitas, craisins and thyme.
Chef’s notes: Add blue cheese last so it softens without melting.
Januarie York’s Baked Sweet Potatoes and Apples
with candied bacon, hot honey garlic glaze, pepitas, smoked blue cheese and craisins
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 2-3 Granny Smith apples
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons caramel sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter (salted)
- 1 1⁄4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Crumb Topping (optional):
- Stroopwafel or graham cracker crumbs
- Butter
- Chopped pecans
- Drop of vanilla
Instructions
- Melt the butter and add both sugars, cinnamon, vanilla and caramel sauce. Stir until well mixed; set aside.
- Wash, peel and slice your sweet potatoes at about 1⁄4 inch. Try to keep all the slices uniform for ease in cooking. The thicker the slices, the longer the cook time for the sweet potatoes, so don’t cut too thin but stay away from thick cuts. (See chef’s notes).
- Slice the apples slightly thicker since they cook more quickly and will need to withstand the sweet potato cook time.
- Alternating between apple and sweet potato, arrange in a deep baking dish.
- Pour sauce over potatoes and apples, making sure everything gets coated.
- Tightly cover with nonstick aluminum foil for 50 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Once tender, remove foil, pour some of the liquid over potato mixture, and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. If you are using the crumb topping, this is where you would add it.
To make the crumb topping:
- Lightly brown pecans in pan on low heat with a teaspoon of butter until fragrant. Be careful – pecans will burn quickly, so make sure to keep an eye on them and keep stirring until they are toasted. Remove from heat and immediately place on paper towel.
- Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter, graham cracker/stroopwafel crumbs, and 2 teaspoons of brown sugar together until well combined and crumbs stick together with ease. Add pecans.
- Pour mix on top of cooked sweet potatoes and apples. Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Finishing:
- Remove from the oven to cool.
- Add lemon zest on top.
- Garnish with sliced lemons, oranges and a cinnamon stick.
- Serve hot with whipped cream.
Chef’s notes:
- You can use apples of your choosing, but the tartness of Granny Smith complements the sweetness of the potatoes.
- Make your own caramel sauce or buy a high-quality one — not the ice cream topping.
- Arrangement of the potatoes and apples is at your discretion. You can use small cubes instead of slices and you can toss the items in the pan instead of arranging. As long as everything gets coated in sauce, the presentation is yours to choose!
- For extra kick, add a tablespoon of bourbon to your sweet potato sauce.
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Oya Woodruff is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at chefoya@chefoya.com.
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