Experimental food corner: Harvest golds.

[rivka]

It's been a while since I've posted from the experimental food corner. I keep meaning to post my recipe for smoked gouda-stuffed hamburgers, for example, but their time has not yet come. I'm too excited by tonight's experiment.

A few weeks ago, I tried a side dish recipe from the New Joy of Cooking: carmelized sweet potatoes and apples. It was very, very good - intensely apple-y and not too sweet. I kept thinking that it would make a nice base for a one-pot supper. Tonight I gave it a try.

First, I fried up four slices of extremely thick-cut bacon in my biggest skillet. I put the bacon to drain on some paper towels and poured off all but a tablespoon or so of the grease. Then I browned about a pound of diced chicken in the remaining bacon grease.

When the chicken was just browned, I added three large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4" half-moons, and three gala apples, cored and cut into eighths but not peeled. I added a lump of butter (a little less than two tablespoons, I guess), about 1/3 cup of packed brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of water. Stirred everything around, covered it up, and let it cook down vigorously for about twenty minutes. The sweet potatoes and apples steamed, grew soft, and developed a rich golden-brown sheen. The chicken soaked up an intense apple flavor. The liquid boiled away into a light syrupy coating. Just before serving, I crumbled in the bacon. It added just the right touch of saltiness.

I wish I'd thought to take a picture of my plate before it was almost scoured clean. curiousangel and wcg also say: two thumbs up.

If I had it to do again, I would change... um, nothing. It was really tasty.

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I am so sad that of the two people I live with, one dislikes apples and the other sweet potatoes. Because this sounds wonderful.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I'm not the world's greatest fan of sweet potatoes, but in this case they worked out perfectly. If this person can imagine a situation where sweet potatoes *might* be worth eating, I'd encourage them to try it.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I had no idea that you didn't like sweet potatoes! Didn't you always eat my sweet potatoes at Donna's? Or have I completely manufactured that memory?

[(Anonymous)]

I don't remember doing that, but I may have. I learned to appeciate that not all sweet potatoes are cloyingly sweet while on Okinawa, and have since gained an appreciation for them when not cooked with an entire bag of mini-marshmallows. My childhood experiences that put me off sweet potatoes involved the traditional thanksgiving recipe, which over sweetens them.

Besides which, I know you're a superb cook. If you offer me something, there's very little chance I'll turn it down untasted.