This will now be a 2-part post, since I recently deleted an old website of mine and decided to combine the related pages together before I start adding all of the stand-alone articles amid multiple blogs, etc. The original post on here was just about Roaster Oven Recipes, so it was a bit lame and needed some additional color anyway. But back to the subject at hand...
Part 1: "Butter Fried Sweet Potatoes – Not Yams!"
The following side dish is a great alternative to your common potatoes. Whether you’re a culinary guru and are just trying to add a little orange (steamed carrots are not the only option) to the greens and yellows on the dinner plate, looking for more Vitamin A sources, complex carbohydrates, something fried and yummy, or if you’re trying to add a little healthy sweetness to the mix, this side dish may be for you.
But before we begin, let's not confuse this vegetable with Yams! I actually detest that, as Yams are not even related to a Sweet Potato, yet many folks, even from the south, say “I like those fried yams!” A freakin’ Yam is the typical given name for a plant species in the genus Dioscorea (family Dioscoreaceae) that also forms edible tubers albeit they are much larger. These crazy-growing Yams are perennial herbaceous vines cultivated for the consumption of their starchy tubers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Oceania. Although the sweet potato has, for whatever reason, been wildly referred to as a Yam in parts of the United States and Canada, it is not part of the family Dioscoreaceae, rather it is in the Morningglory family Convolvulaceae.
Even without all the scientific babble, Yams can grow up to nearly 5 feet in length, so be sure to let me know when you have seen a Sweet Potato grow to such size!
Oh, this food-related post is about Butter Fried Sweet Potatoes, so let's get on with it.
First of all, these are Sweet Potatoes, depicted below:
After you have realized that you are taking on some mighty Sweet Potatoes, the next thing to do is wash them and peel ’em. Ya know, sort of like you would common white potatoes and/or spuds, just before your make mashed potatoes. But hold your horses from this point, as you don’t begin to slice anything yet, and we sure as heck ain’t mashing anything (excuse my attempt to sound southern). Below, I’ll show an image of what step you should be at now, after peeling your potatoes. Please note, the plate of trimmings to the right in that image, as they are great to add to your compost pile or to just throw them out in your garden spot as vegetable waste, if you are into such things as the recycling of table scraps and
organic compost, etc.
Okay, so you have your peeled Sweet Potatoes, not Yams, and now it is time to soften these suckers up, before they get sliced and butter fried. To do so, you need to grab a big pot, fill it with water and heat to a boil. …Add those orange potatoes into the boiling water and boil for about 6 or 7 minutes. Check out the steam below, as we let the good times roll on the stove-top…
From here, you drain the hot water, add some cold water and let cool for a few seconds. Then, you take each potato out and begin to slice into about 3/8th inch slices. Take a large skillet out, add a fair amount of butter and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar around the pan. After everything gets hot and melted, add your sweet potatoes and begin to fry. Of course, feel free to add a little salt and black pepper onto at least one side of the potatoes while frying. The process should look something like this:
Now, although I elected to not go to the trouble to seek out wild, large, crazy Yams, the common Sweet Potatoes when butter fried with sugar, salt, and pepper, usually turn out like this:
Well, since this is a food-related post about a side dish, why not add an image of the current main dish and/or entree? Anyway, in addition to these deliciously butter fried yams, oops, I mean sweet potatoes, I plan on adding several other items like
asparagus, turnip greens (no
fried squash today) and so on, to some oven-baked, well-seasoned and slowly cooked chicken thighs, as shown below:
Image Credits: My own photos.
—End of Part 1: "Butter Fried Sweet Potatoes - Not Yams!"
Part 2: "Roaster Oven Recipes"
If you are one of those that like crock pot cooking and/or basically any type of cooking that doesn't involve the conventional, bulky stovetop & oven combo, a roaster oven may be just what you're looking for. Although I'm sure there are plenty of recipes out there for your crock pot, roaster ovens are something of a different nature. For one, they are much larger and can also be used as a crock pot or they can be used like a mini oven, which is what I like.
It is so much better to use for, say, cooking whole fryers or little hens during the summer, when you don't want to heat up the
entire house. Not only does it save on electricity, the fact that it is right there for you to open the lid, add seasoning, check, etc., makes it so much more convenient.
In a reasonably sized roaster oven, you can cook a whole fryer that is 3.5 to 5lbs. at a rate of 13 to 15 minutes a pound, which isn't bad at all. The roaster oven I have, can hold two
whole chickens this size and even more Cornish game hens. These little ovens are also great for beef roasts, lamb, pork of all kinds whether it be chops, country-style ribs, shoulder, you name it. Hell, you can even throw a bone-in smoked ham in there or a small turkey, if you wish!
Before I provide a quick link to a fine selection of roaster ovens, let's look for a couple sample recipes to give you some ideas. Oh, did I mention that baking pans can be placed on the roasting rack, as well? Yeah, some people even bake muffins, yeast rolls, brownies, cupcakes,
pizzas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., in this sucker. I noticed that there isn't a lot of online recipes for your roaster oven, at least not an abundance of them by what I could tell during a quick web search, so I'll check around the house.
...Okay, I did find a few sample roaster oven recipes, although most of them are rather basic. I'll list a few of them, but I must say, you don't really need 'em if you are creative or the slightest bit experienced, but you do need your roaster oven; ha!
Roaster Oven Recipes
Pot Roast with Vegetables
6 to 8lb. beef chuck roast 2 cups beef broth
2 cups baby carrots 1 tbs. salt
8 medium potatoes (peeled & quartered)
2 onions, quartered 1 tsp. black pepper
Place roast in bottom of cooking pan. Place vegetables around sides of roast. Add salt, pepper, and broth. Cover; cook at 300 degrees for 3 to 4 hours or until tender.
Hickory-smoked brisket
6 to 8lb. beef brisket 1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 cup liquid smoke 1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
Place brisket on a large piece of
aluminum foil. Sprinkle generously with the liquid smoke and seasonings. Wrap the brisket with foil and crimp the edges. Place in cooking pan. Cover and cook in your roaster oven for 4 hours at 250 degrees.
Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken
7 to 8 lb. chicken 1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter 1 tsp. black pepper
Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Combine remaining ingredients and rub over skin and between skin and meat of chicken. Place roasting rack in cooking pan, then place chicken on roasting rack and cover. Bake in your oven for 2 to 2.5 hours at 350 degrees.
Asian Spare Ribs
4 large cloves of garlic, minced 2 tbs. sesame oil
1 tsp. five spice powder 2 tbs. minced fresh ginger
8 green onions, thinly sliced 1 tbs. chili puree
1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tsp. salt
8 tbs. hoisin sauce 6 to 8lbs. pork spare ribs, cut to fit
Combine first 8 ingredients to make marinade. Sprinkle ribs with salt and brush with marinade. Place ribs in cooking pan. Roast at 350 degrees for 1.5 to 2 hours.
That was just a few simple, easy-to-do recipes for your roaster oven. Of course, you can cook baked potatoes, beef stew, chili, soup, chicken tetrazzini for a crowd and so, so much more in this splendid little oven.
Related Blog Links:
Image Credit: Fair Use - Product Image via Amazon.com
---End of Post "Butter Fried Sweet Potatoes - Not Yams! + Roaster Oven Recipes"
