Are you a subversive cook? Then skip the marshmallows this Thanksgiving and
serve sweet potatoes sauteed with ground Kashmiri chilies and other Indian spices.
Nearly 20 years ago, after a stint in Paris, novelist Manil Suri decided to impress his spice-addicted Bombay family by whipping up a “gourmet” French meal: “…I would…educate their masala-conditioned palates on the quieter complexities of bouillabaisse and coq au vin., “ he wrote in “Bombay Gourmet” in last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine (November 16, 2008, pp. 59-60.)
You can guess what happened. One taste of his exquisite bouillabaisse (from which the spicy rouille had been omitted “to expose my relatives to flavors subtler than they were accustomed to”) and a cousin asked, “Do you still have that jar of chili paste?” To Suri’s horror, everyone stirred great spoonfuls of blistering sambal olek into the delicate soup. It went downhill from there. His father spit out the Camembert in the sink. The coq, prepared without vin to avoid offending the Muslim landlord’s sensibility, was gristly and inedible. When his mother brought out a dish of rice and chickpeas she had prepared “just in case,” they licked the platter clean.
It’s no coincidence that The Times ran Suri’s memoir 11 days before Thanksgiving. If ever there were a time not to muck around with your family’s expectations, this is it. Cranberry sauce made the way Ocean Spray tells you to? Check. Mashed potatoes, oozing butter and cream? Check. Oyster dressing made with Pepperidge Farm herbed bread stuffing? Check.
It’s enough to make an adventurous cook despair. If you’re like me, though, you’ll present the old standards with a loving smile, but on the side, sneak in some spice. My own devious menu includes Laxmi Hiremath’s luscious Cranberry-Tangerine Chutney, which I’ll serve alongside the usual whole cranberries in sugar syrup. I might be the only one partaking, but I don’t mind. That means I can eat every bit of this gorgeous citrus-sweet, ginger-hot chutney all by myself.
Side dishes are a good place to stage a minor rebellion, and sweet potatoes offer an especially tempting blank canvas for the creative cook. This year you can forget the candied marshmallows, since top chefs and food writers have been working overtime to bring you clever new ideas. I especially like Thai chef Lulzim Rexhepi’s Sweet Potatoes Kittichai, whipped to creamy perfection with coconut milk and cinnamon. (See “Going Global on Thanksgiving,” by Raymond Sokolov, The Wall Street Journal, November 22, 2008.)
At my own table the sweet potatoes will be taking an Indian detour. Last week I bought two pounds of Carolina Ruby sweet potatoes from Whitted Bowers, a biodynamic farm in Cedar Grove. The potatoes are small and slender, not much bigger round in the middle than a silver dollar (remember those?). I’ll slice them thin, then sauté the “coins” until they’re golden brown, and toss them with a gentle mixture of Indian spices: ground Kashmiri chilies, turmeric, ginger, cardamom and, most importantly, a touch of bittersweet cassia (a.k.a. cinnamon). It’s the cassia that pulls all the other spices together, giving the potatoes a mellow glow. Just before serving, I’ll drizzle a little reduced balsamic vinegar over it all.
With a side like this, who needs the turkey?
Indian Spiced Sweet Potatoes with Kashmiri Chilies, Turmeric and Cinnamon
To serve 6 as a side dish
Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 or more tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground Kashmiri chilies (see note)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (a.k.a. Indonesian cassia)
Pinch ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
Additional salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon very finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Method:
1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into slices 3/8-inch thick. Don’t obsess—just try to make them all about the same size. If the potatoes are big, cut the slices in halves or quarters. Combine the turmeric, chilies, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet heat the canola oil over a medium flame. When it is hot, add the sliced sweet potatoes and sauté until they are golden brown and cooked through. The potatoes will absorb the oil as they cook, so you may need to add one or two more tablespoons as you go along. If necessary, reduce the heat to keep them from browning too quickly.
3. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the potatoes and toss so they are well coated on all sides. Continue to cook, turning frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the finely chopped cilantro and mix well. Remove the potatoes from the heat, but keep them warm.
4. A few minutes before serving, put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Reduce to 1-1/2 tablepoons. The vinegar should be syrupy. Watch carefully—the vinegar may reduce very quickly. Do not let it burn—lower the flame if necessary.
5. Just before serving, drizzle the reduced balsamic over the potatoes and serve at once.
Note: Ground Kashmiri chilies can be found at some Indian markets. If they are not available, substitute ground red pepper or cayenne.