My love of potatoes knows no bounds. I’m especially fond of breakfast potatoes. This morning when I woke up and started rummaging around in the refrigerator for something to eat on this bright Sunday morning I was instantly drawn to last nights leftover casserole of scalloped potatoes, zucchini, red peppers and ham. “Eat me Erin! Eat me Erin,” it seemed to call from under its snug Press’n-Seal cover. I somehow managed to resist the cheesy temptation momentarily before I moved on to another, slightly more morning appropriate option. I decided to make sweetly spiced sweet potato latkes and bake them. Baking was the ultimate concession as yesterday morning I shamelessly coaxed CK into picking up a box of munchkins for us to snack on all day.

These latkes are thicker than the baked russet potato version that I made previously, and much more hash-brown like in consistency. Don’t forget to top them with your favorite condiments. I prefer sour cream, light of course — sticking with the whole donut guilt theme, but apple sauce or a fruity yogurt would also be a great addition.

Peel & Prep	Grate (the Easy Way)
Combine Potatoes & Spices	Drop by 1/3-Cupfuls
Flatten	Sweet Potato Latkes on Parade

Baked Sweet Potato Latkes (based on the recipe originally published in Women’s Health Magazine)
Makes 12 Latkes

2 pounds grated sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, grated
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Drop by 1/3-cupfuls onto cookie sheet. Flatten with spatula.

Bake for 25 minutes; flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Serve with light sour cream and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Yet another reason to love Nigella Lawson: her express meals apparently really can be made in a reasonable amount of time. What a concept!? After watching the first episode of Nigella Express on the Food Network I added her recipe for Roast Cornish Hen with Sweet Potatoes to my “to do” list so I’d remember to add any ingredients I’d need to my PeaPod order. Unfortunately when the PeaPod delivery person appeared he did so without my hens. They were all sold out. I assume that means all of the housewives in Cambridge must have had the same idea as me. I ended up setting the recipe aside for a few weeks until I happened to stumble upon some frozen Cornish Hens at Trader Joe’s. Eureka! My recipe attempt was back on.

The prep was ridiculously easy, essentially consisting of chopping potatoes, tossing everything together and popping it in the oven. So if you’re looking for a fast week night dinner that requires very minimal effort I’d definitely suggest this. I think next time I’ll actually rub cinnamon and cumin onto the hens as well before roasting them. I vaguely recall Nigella doing this in the actual episode, but the recipe didn’t mention anything about it. I hate it when the episode instructions and the actual recipes on Food Network don’t match up.

Please note that the images below are of a doubled version of the recipe. In addition, I also cooked everything together (not in seperate dishes) so the juices from the chicken would enhance the flavor of the potatoes.

Spice, Citrus, and Oil	Tiny Chickens
Chop the Potatoes	Toss Together
Dinner in a Flash

Roast Poussin/Cornish Hen and Sweet Potatoes (Originally Published by Nigella Lawson)

2 poussins/Cornish hens
2 tablespoons garlic or wok oil, divided
1 sweet potato weighing approximately 1 pound
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maldon or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Good squirt lime juice

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put the birds into a small baking tin or foil tray pouring over 1 tablespoon of oil.

Cut the sweet potatoes into 2 1/2-inch cubes and put them into another smallish tin or foil tray.

Pour over the other tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over the spices, and then toss everything together by shaking the tin.

Cook both the poussins/hens and sweet potatoes in the preheated hot oven for 45 minutes.

Biscuits are a big deal in my family.  It’s a well known fact that the only person who can make acceptable biscuits is my grandmother.  The rest of us generally don’t even try.   Whenever I’m visiting my mother in Maine we call my grandmother early in the morning and request freshly baked biscuits.  They’re to die for.  Especially when slathered with real butter.  Of course, like millions of other people, I need to get into better shape.   So I decided to try a lighter (possibly new and exciting) Sweet Potato Biscuit recipe that I found in this month’s Cooking Light magazine.  I’ve actually subscribed to Cooking Light for the last year but this is the first time I’ve ever tried one of their recipes.   Probably because I’m so enamored with Ellie Krieger’s healthy meals on the Food Network.  Anyway, the biscuits came out pretty well.  I was actually shocked that they rose so much,  and I’m sure they were really reasonable calorie and fat wise, until I spread on some Maple Butter…and then a little more Maple Butter.

Bake	Puree
Mix the Dry Ingredients	Combine the Milk & Potatoes
Cut	Bake

Butter

I was given the following Sweet Potato Chili recipe by Hänni. Per her description the “lime and cocoa” give this dish a very “exotic flair” and after preparing it, I’d have to thoroughly agree. Vegetarian chilies are definitely one of my favorite hearty dinner options, although I did alter the recipe by adding some chicken stock to the chili in an effort to thin it out slightly. You could of course use vegetable stock, or leave it out entirely. I always like to pair my spicy dishes with Sweet Corn Cakes. Yes, I’m not ashamed to admit that I serve corn bread from a mix.

Prep	Slice
Saute	Add the Sweet Potato
Combine the Spices	Pour in the Tomatoes
Add the Beans & Jalapeño	Stir & Bring to a Simmer
Cover	Slice & Chop
One Last Stir	Dinner is Served