sweet potato Archives | butter loves company

Fluffy, moist sweet potato muffins spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with a crunchy, sweet pecan streusel

I’ve been meaning to bake with sweet potatoes for so long. Really, it has been on my mind since last Thanksgiving after eating the classic sweet potato casserole topped with gooey marshmallow and sticky sweet pecans. It still boggles my mind that sweet potato casserole is considered a side dish and not a dessert, though I’m certainly not complaining because then I can have guilt-free seconds!

With Easter around the corner, my timing to make sweet potato streusel muffins couldn’t be worse. Right now, you’re likely expecting some variation on homemade Peeps, deviled eggs, or carrot cake. (Thanks to my mom, I have the BEST carrot cake recipe to share with you at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later.)

Alas, I dropped the ball and picked up a sweet potato and this is what came of it.

For those of you who are weary of veggies in dessert, trust me, you’ll be happy you gave this recipe a shot. Sweet potato carries similarities to pumpkin when used in baked goods; it effortlessly results in a moist cake. Paired with warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and topped with a sweet, crunchy pecan streusel, these sweet potato streusel muffins are for keeps. The muffin tops have just enough crunch and the insides stay fluffy, moist, and flavorful. No crumbly, dense, or dry muffins here.

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As a lifelong Bostonian, and as we approach the 2014 Boston Marathon, I’d like to remind everyone that you can still donate to The One Fund to help those most affected by the tragic events of last year’s Boston Marathon. While my heart continues to be heavy for those whose lives were directly impacted by the tragedy, I continue to be inspired by the stories of hope and the force of this great community—and communities across the globe—to come together with pride, positivity, and support.

sweet potato streusel muffins

Author: Adapted from SugarDishMe and Rachael Ray

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 12 muffins

Fluffy, moist sweet potato muffins spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with a crunchy, sweet pecan streusel.

Ingredients

3 large eggs
⅓ cup Greek yogurt
¾ cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup sweet potato, cooked and mashed* (about 1 large or two small sweet potatoes or yams)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1½ teaspoon vanilla
1¾ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
For Streusel Topping:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs on low for 15 seconds. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the yogurt, oil, and sweet potato mash. Finally, add the brown sugar and vanilla, and mix until combined.
In a separate, medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
Gently pour the flour mixture into the sweet potato mixture and set the emptied flour bowl aside. With the mixer on low, beat until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 prepared muffin cups.
In the bowl you used for the flour mixture, crumble together the softened butter, chopped pecans, flour, and sugar with your fingers until small clumps form. Sprinkle the topping over all the muffins. It may seem like a lot, but it will spread as the muffins puff up in the oven.
Bake the muffins at 425°F for 6 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for additional 12–14 minutes, or until a toothpick tested in the center of a center muffin comes out clean. Cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes and then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
*To make sweet potato mash, poke a large sweet potato all over with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven at 400°F for about 45 minutes, or until a knife can easily slice through the center of the potato. Let cool completely, remove skin, and mash with a fork.

I like Boston seasons. Snow is so pretty. Winter isn’t too long…

My brain has been trying to convince my body all of these things are true as I shiver through layers of blankets with my hood up and cinched. The unpredictable temperature is taking its toll.

Much to our frustration, we haven’t been able to seek refuge from the cold within the ~500 sq. ft. of our apartment: old building + broken heaters + -10 degree weather outside = 40 degree weather inside. Because of this, I’ve been craving every warm food that fits into the “comfort food” category; a category that baked pasta certainly is part of. I’ve started relying on baked pasta as a meal that re-heats well throughout a busy week (and as a way to warm me up when no more layers will do!).

My current recipe of choice, adapted from The Smitten Kitchen, has just the right combination of gooey, creamy pasta on the bottom and crispy, cheesy burnt bits on top. Greg and I both go directly for the burnt bits. I try making myself feel better about the heavier béchamel base by always adding different vegetable combinations. Broccoli’s slightly bitter brother, broccoli rabe, is a great choice because it holds up pretty well to cooking. It also has a nicely contrasting flavor to sweet additions like yam or butternut squash. If you can’t find broccoli rabe, regular broccoli works just fine. Every time I make this I use a combination of sweet and hot Italian sausage. I find a touch of spice is well received.

The Smitten Kitchen recipe suggests multiplying the cheese and béchamel by 1 ½ if you prefer your baked pasta creamier. To me, this one is just perfect.

I’ll continue it to make through the rest of winter, even with our new working heaters!

Pouring the béchamel on the pasta is the best part. So is saying béchamel.

baked pasta with broccoli rabe and sweet potato

Recipe Type: Dinner

Author: adapted from The Smitten Kitchen

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Pasta and assembly—
1 pound chunky pasta of your choice (I prefer anything that sauce can sneak into)
1 bundle broccoli rabe, stems and leaves cut into 1-inch segments
1 cups diced sweet potato or yam (1 large potato peeled and diced into ¾ inch cubes)
1 pound Italian sausage (sweet or spicy pork or chicken), casings removed
2/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese
6 ounces mozzarella, cut into small cubes
Bechamel—
2 cups milk, full fat is ideal (I used 2%)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Few gratings fresh nutmeg

Instructions

Cook the pasta, rabe, and yam: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and five minutes before its cooking time is up, add the broccoli rabe and sweet potato. It will seem like too much for the water, but with a stir or two, the rabe should wilt and cook alongside the pasta. Drain the broccoli rate, sweet potato and pasta together and place in a large bowl.
Cook your sausage: Meanwhile, heat 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, wide saucepan (you will use this for the bechamel in a few minutes; you could also use your pasta pot, once it is drained) over medium heat. When hot, add the sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it starts to brown, about five minutes. Remove with slotted spoon or spatula, leaving any fat behind. Eyeball the drippings (pork sausage will leave some; chicken usually does not) — use one tablespoon less butter next if it looks like there’s a tablespoon there. Any less, don’t worry about adjusting the butter.
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Make the bechamel: Melt your butter in same saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add your flour and stir it into the butter until smooth. Cook the mixture together for a minute, stirring constantly. Pour in a small drizzle of your milk, whisking constantly into the butter-flour mixture until smooth. Continue to drizzle a very small amount at a time, whisking constantly. Once you’ve added a little over half of your milk, you’ll find that you have more of a thick sauce or batter, and you can start adding the milk in larger splashes, being sure to keep mixing. Once all of the milk is added, add the salt, garlic, nutmeg, and few grinds of black pepper, and bring the mixture to a lower simmer and cook it, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Assemble and bake: Add the sausage and bechamel to the bowl with the pasta, broccoli rabe, and sweet potato. Stir in mozzarella and half of grated parmesan or pecorino until combined. Pour into a deep 9×13-inch baking dish or 3-quart casserole dish and coat with remaining parmesan or pecorino. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are nicely bronzed.
Eat warm. Reheat as needed