Baked Sweet Potato Roses with Fresh Thyme

If you’re run out of ideas for sweet potato appetizers/snacks/side dishes, these potato roses are a very pretty and easy to make. It takes only 25 minutes to cook it and just few ingredients.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Butter & Sage

Gnocchi are delicious poached dumpling-like preparations. They are typically North Italian, although Roman gnocchi (made with potatoes) are a regional specialty rarely found in Northern home kitchens. A light hand is the watchword for these delicacies, otherwise they will be soggy and leaden.

Beet Soup with Sweet Potato & Meatballs

Thanksgiving is a wonderful Holiday full of family, friends, love, and lots and lots of delicious food! This year, I am planning to create these wonderful postcard invitations for the people I love. I would love to hear your opinion. Every comment is welcome!-)

Top Six Appetizers for New Year's Eve Party

Look no further for appetizers to impress even the most discerning guest. Hot and spicy popcorn, smashed potatoes, or sweet potato baked chips - these really are appetizers to sink your teeth into. Set the table, set the mood and set the taste buds tingling.

For sheer visual appeal, shellfish appetizers are hard to beat. There is little more tempting than a plate - or skewer - full of plump, succulent sizzling shrimp and there is a uniquely naughty pleasure found in the delightful messiness of peeling them at the table. For more formal occasions and for those with more sophisticated table manners, serve salmon soufflé or smoked salmon rolls.



Shrimp with Garlic and Parsley - The Best Sizzling Spicy Appetizer
Garlic Popcorn with Cayenne Pepper & Popcorn with ”Buffalo Wings” Red Hot Sauce

Sweet Potato Frittata with Tomato Salsa and Melon Soup with Ginger

This Sweet Potato Frittata recipe has very simple ingredients, but makes something very unique.



Melons are sweet, spicy, and musky, but with their high water content, they are best suited for soups, sorbets, granites, and of course eating fresh.

The beauty of this fresh Melon soup in its extraordinary simplicity. All you have to do is puree ripe melon and ginger in the blender. It's a very easy and elegant way to serve ripe fruit for the breakfast, the brunch or any holiday gathering.



Ingredients:

For the Frittata:

• 1 large sweet potato, about 7oz
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 4 eggs, large
• 2 Tbsp chives, finely snipped

For the Salsa:

• 2-3 medium tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp cilantro, fresh, chopped
• 2 Tbsp red onion, very fine chopped
• 1½ tsp lemon juice, from half a lemon
• 1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• dash Tabasco
• salt and pepper
• pinch of sugar

For the Melon Soup:

• 4 cups melon (peeled, seeded and cubed)
• 1 Tbsp ginger (freshly grated)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Directions:

Make the Salsa: Cut the tomatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the other salsa ingredients and mix well, seasoning with salt and pepper, and a pinch of sugar if you like.



Make the Melon Soup: Place melon, lemon juice, ginger, and sugar in a blender or a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. 
Chill the soup until it's cold.


For the Frittata: Heat the broiler  to it's highest setting. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small cubes. Heat a non-stick  or frying pan (suitable for use under the broiler/grill) and add the olive oil. When hot, toss in the potato and shallot, and season well with salt and pepper. Cook over a medium heat, turning occasionally, for about 4-5 minutes until the potatoes are just tender and lightly golden around the edges.



Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, add the chives and pour over the sweet potatoes. Shake the pan gently to distribute the ingredients and cook over a low heat, without stirring, for a few minutes until the eggs are beginning to set at the bottom and around the sides.



Place the pan under the hot broiler briefly until the top of the frittata has set. Try not to overcook the eggs or they will go rubbery. Leave to stand a minute, then run a heatproof plastic spatula around the sides of the pan and invert the frittata onto a large plate. Spoon the tomato salsa into a neat pile on top and serve immediately.

Orange Sweet Potato Baked Chips with Thyme

Sweet potatoes and yams: True sweet potatoes are tuberous vegetables with light to deep-red skins and pale yellow to orange flesh. The term yam is also incorrectly applied to sweet potatoes in US, most often when referring to the darker-skinned, orange-fleshed variety. In fact, true yams are a very large tuberous vegetable eaten in Africa and the Caribbean.

Sweet potatoes contain more beta-carotene than carrots plus vitamin C and fiber. In contrast, true yams have no beta-carotene.


Ingredients: 

• 1 medium sweet potato (about 8 ounces), scrubbed 
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 tsp orange zest 
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• freshly ground pepper 
• 1 tsp thyme 

Directions:

Heat the oven to 325°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Slice the sweet potato into very thin rounds using a mandoline slicer.



Mix together olive oil and orange zest in a small bowl. Brush two baking sheets with half of oil mixture. Place potato slices on sheets in a single layer and brush tops with remaining oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper. For one medium sweet potato you will need two-three baking sheets.



Bake one sheet at a time until the edges of the chips curl up, the centers are just golden brown, and the tops are dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the chips cool until crisp, about 3 minutes. Using your hands, carefully transfer the chips to a serving dish. Repeat with the second sheet.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Apple Soup with Nutmeg, Homemade Crispy Baked Beet Chips, and Dry Apricot-Hazelnut Bread

This picture-perfect, crusty loaf will satisfy both the novice and the experienced baker. Use it for breakfast toast or sandwiches.

Ingredients for apricot-hazelnut bread: 

• 300 ml mineral water
• 1 tbsp dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup shelled and roasted hazelnuts
• 1 cup dry apricots, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 cups bread flour (min 12% protein)
• 1/2 cup rye flour

Direction for apricot-hazelnut bread:
Mix the yeast with the brown sugar, add a bit of water and two tablespoons of flour, stir thoroughly, leave for 10 min. Add in the rest of the water and mix well. Adding gradually the flour make a dough, add the salt, dry apricots and roasted hazelnuts at the end. Knead the dough for 5 min, shape into a ball, dust thoroughly with the flour and leave to rise covered in a container for 1 hour. Shape the bread into a loaf of any form, generously sprinkle with the flour and transfer the loaf onto a baking paper. Cover with the kitchen towel and leave for 30 min.

Preheat the oven together with the baking tray to 420F. Score the loaf, using a sharp knife at a 45° angle. Bake for 5 min, reduce the heat to 400F, and bake for 35 min. Switch off the oven, transfer the bread on a grid and keep it in the oven for 10-15 min, leaving the oven door ajar.
Take the bread out of the oven and cool down completely on a wire rack.



As colorful as it is good to eat, soup is sure winner, whether for midweek family supper or a dinner - party first course. A delicious soup that makes the most of freshly picked apples.
Ingredients for roasted sweet potato and apple soup:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 2 leeks, sliced thinly
• 1 large carrot, sliced thinly
• 1 lb 5 oz/600 g sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 large apples, peeled and diced
• 5 cups broth
• freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup light cream
• salt and pepper
• fresh chives or cilantro, to garnish

Directions for soup:
Preheat an oven to 400ºF.
In a bowl, combine the carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until the carrots are tender and golden around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes.



In a soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leeks and sauté, stirring, until tender 5 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables, broth, nutmeg and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat to medium- low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Using a blender, food processor or stick blender, puree the soup, then pass it through a chinois. Return the soup to the pot add cream and season with salt and pepper.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with a cilantro sprig and the beet chips.
Serve immediately.



Ingredients for beet chips:

• 1-2 beets, large, scrubbed clean
• nonstick cooking spray
• salt, to taste

Directions for beet chips:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Using the slicing blade of your food processor, a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice beets thinly. You want them to be the size of a potato chip.
Spread evenly on a cookie sheet, spray with nonstick spray and season with salt.
Roast about 2 hours, turning halfway through, until crisp. Check often to make sure they don't burn. you may need to roast for a shorter or longer period of time depending on your oven and how crisp you want them - so keep an eye on them -)