Serious Eats: Recipes
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
For a healthy twist on sweet potato casserole, we recommend the shallot-flecked, double-baked sweet potatoes from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking. Calling for a little less butter than traditional casseroles, this recipe uses goat cheese rather than marshmallows to punctuate the spoon bread, which provides a tangy counterpoint to the sweetness of the potatoes.
Sweet Potato Spoon Bread
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 medium-large red-fleshed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup unsalted butter
4 large shallots, sliced into thin rounds
6 ounces fresh goat cheese
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup boiling water
3 large eggs
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, position a rack in the middle of the oven, and butter a 2-quart casserole dish.
2. Prick each sweet potato with a fork a few times, then wrap in aluminum foil. Prick the foiled potatoes, this time to allow steam to escape. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2, hours, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender. Cool until they can be handled, then use a big, wide spoon to scoop the flesh into a bowl. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
3. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat, then stir in the shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are golden and the butter has browned, about 9 minutes.
4. Whisk or blend the goat cheese with a fork until fluffy and light; you may need to add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if the cheese is on the dry side. In a large bowl, combine the flour, onion powder, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add a splash of the boiling water to the flour mixture and stir to make a paste. Continue adding the water a bit at a time until it is all incorporated, and don't worry if the batter is a bit lumpy. Add 3 cups of the sweet potatoes and blend with a hand blender or by hand. Stir in the sautéed shallots and all of the butter in the pan, then stir in the eggs one at a time.
5. Put two-thirds of the sweet potato mixture in the prepared casserole dish and top with dollops of the whipped goat cheese. Finish with dollops of the remaining sweet potato mixture. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until goat cheese begins to color and the potatoes have set. Serve topped with a dustting of Parmesan.