Sweet Potatoes; spiced up...

Here's a fun one. It sounds strange, but it's actually really good!

Sweet Potato Enchilada Pie

1 large sweet potato, peeled, cubed (½ inch cubes)
1 Tbsp water
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce
1 tsp chili powder (or more, to taste)
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
3 flour tortillas (8 in.)
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Cook sweet potato until almost tender.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, enchilada sauce, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and sweet potato; heat through.

Place a flour tortilla in a greased 9-in deep-dish pie plate; layer with one third of the beef mixture and cheese. Repeat layers twice more.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until bubbly.

Once again, it sounds strange to mix sweet potatoes into a dish like this, but it really comes out well. As I said before, they seem to pick up the flavor of the spices and meat and complement them. I liked it. Hubby liked it. I am sure I will do this one again.

Sweet Potatoes

When you grow your own sweet potatoes it's fun to find different recipes for them. Until I came to Missouri and started growing my own I had only eaten them in 4 different ways; in Sweet Potato Pie, in these yeast sweet potato biscuits I'd once tried, candied with marshmallows and just baked. I liked them all, but I wanted to branch out and try them differently. This past year I found this recipe. Yum!

Sweet Potato Sausage Casserole

4 oz uncooked spiral pasta
4 oz smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼ to ½ inch cubes
½ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium tomato, diced
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook the sausage, sweet potatoes, green pepper, onion and garlic in oil over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until veggies are tender; drain.

Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, pepper. Bring to boil; remove from the heat. Drain the pasta, stir into sausage mixture. Transfer to a greased 9”x9”x2” inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings
This is my take on a recipe that came from a cooking magazine published by Reiman; I dunno which magazine because I ripped it out and it isn’t identified on the page. It’s either “Country,” “Simple and Delicious” or “Taste of Home.”

In any case, I modified it quite a bit. First off this recipe is “halved.” I usually do this because Ellen won’t eat stuff like this and hubby and I wouldn’t be able to eat a full 9x13 inch casserole before it goes icky. And then it called for canned tomatoes, but I ask you; who’s going to used CANNED when you have fresh in the garden? Puh-leese.

The final report is that I LOVED this dish and will certainly make it again. I love the blending of flavors; sausage, peppers, onions; and the sweet potato seems to absorb them and adds a different personality to it. It is pretty rich though, what with the cream and the cheese.