Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Compound Butters

Chow.com sent me an email showing their way to bake a sweet potato. When I read how they cut the skin BEFORE cooking it I cringed. Wash them, keep the skins intact & roast them so their natural sugars caramelize inside the skins. When done there is a palpable gap between the parchmenty skin & the wonderful tater innards. The first compound butter is adapted from Chow.com - the next two are our own. We eat sweet potatoes all winter long (great vitamins & satisfy our sweet tooths) usually with dark green vegies like home canned collards, home grown kale, spinach or cabbage, so having an assortment of butters in the fridge makes a simple meal special. The butters are enough for about 12 servings altogether but keep very well if not exposed to air in the fridge. I put ours in small ceramic containers & then in Ziplocs (labelled). Sweet potatoes roast well tucked near a bed of coals (if you are camping or having a bonfire) & do well if you are BBQing - I always cook at leasst a half dozen when smoking pork shoulders as they reheat so nicely for lunches & that smoky taste is awesome with the sweet potato.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4  sweet potatoes (medium sized approx.1 1/2 fists)

• For compound butters

• 12  ounces butter, room temp, divided into 3 portions
• 1⁄2 teaspoon molasses
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground, medium grind
• 1  pinch ground cloves
• 1  teaspoon maple syrup, grade B
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄16 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 1  teaspoon orange zest, finely grated
• 1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1  tablespoon  orange juice
• 1⁄8 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground, medium grind

Directions

1. For sweet potaotes:.
2. Preheat oven to 425degrees F.
3. Wash sweet potatoes (I use a brush) but keep skins intact.
4. Roast on foil lined sheet for 30 to 45 minutes - until the skin is separated from the flesh. They may be sputtering caramelized sugars at the end of cooking (hence the aluminum foil as this stuff will smoke if it gets stuck on the floor of your oven).
5. For Compound Butters:.
6. Molasses-clove - Mix 4 ounces softened butter with the molasses, salt, pepper & cloves. Easy on the cloves. Pack butter into small serving dish & chill lightly until ready to serve or keep at room temperature.
7. Maple-nutmeg - Mix 4 ounces softened butter with the maple syrup, salt, pepper & nutmeg. Pack butter into small serving dish & chill lightly until ready to serve or keep at room temperature.
8. Orange-pepper - Mix 4 ounces of the softened butter with the orange zest, juice, salt & pepper. Pack butter into small serving dish & chill lightly until ready to serve or keep at room temperature.