by Joan Mccord

Created on: August 23, 2008   Last Updated: December 16, 2008

Once you taste these sweet potatoes it is almost impossible to stop eating them.

Perfumed with ginger, heaped into a bowl and served with a generous topping of sugared walnuts, these sweet potatoes are the perfect vegetable accompaniment to roast turkey, ham, or game.

It is quick and easy to cook the creamy sweet potatoes and deep fry the crisp and toasty walnuts ahead. It will only take a minute to finish your dish at dinner time.

CREAMY SWEET POTATOES WITH SUGARED WALNUTS

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1-pound small sweet potatoes

1 piece peeled ginger, about -inch thick, smashed

2 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp butter - to finish the dish

Method:

* Select small oblong-shaped potatoes. They are deeper in color and sweeter than the larger ones.

* Peel, rinse, and cut in half.

* Cover with cold water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil with the ginger. Turn heat low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from water and place in a bowl. Discard ginger.

* Mash potatoes well with the back of a spoon or a potato ricer, until smooth, discarding any stringy fibers.

* Add 2 Tbsp sugar and stir until sugar disappears. Taste and adjust sugar if necessary.

* This may be done in advance. Cover and leave at room temperature for a couple hours, or refrigerate for a longer period.

SUGARED WALNUTS

Ingredients:

1 cup shelled walnuts, either halves or broken pieces

1 cup boiling water

3 Tbsp sugar

1 cup oil

Method:

* While the potatoes are simmering, place walnuts in a strainer over the sink, and shake to rid them of any powdery residue.

* Put the walnuts into a large bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water; soak them for 3 minutes.

* Pour into strainer and shake until water is completely drained away.

* Wipe bowl dry, return the walnuts, and toss with 3 Tbsp sugar until the sugar sticks to them. Spread walnuts on a plate to cool for 15 minutes.

* Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. Add oil and heat for about 10 seconds, until it floats a cube of bread but barely foams it, to about 240 degrees.

* Turn heat to medium-low. Pour in walnuts, and deep-fry for 3 minutes, stirring gently and constantly, until walnuts are glowing brown in color and the sugar coating is glistening, about to be caramelized. Do not permit them to be deeply browned; once darkened, they are bitter.

* Pour oil and walnuts immediately into a strainer over a pot. When the oil has drained away, spread them on a tray, separating all the pieces. Let them cool and harden.

* This may be done hours in advance. Once cooled, the walnuts may be stored tightly covered to stay crisp and delicious for weeks.

TO FINISH THE DISH

* Heat a skillet over high heat until hot; add 3 Tbsp butter. Swirl and heat for 30 seconds.

* Add mashed sweet potatoes and stir for about 3 minutes until mixture is hot and creamy

* Pour into serving dish, and cover the top with all of the sugared walnuts.

These mashed potato sweet potatoes are surprisingly simple with few ingredients. They are the perfect example of a highly nutritional dish deliciously filled with natural flavor.

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