HATCH CHILES BRING SPARKLE TO THE HOLIDAY TABLE!

Your roasted sweet potatoes will practically dance with holiday spirit when they’re drizzled with the zesty nature of this mild chile sauce. And I promise the sauce has just enough mojo to put a magic touch on your festive meal. The sauce can be prepared a day or two ahead and served warmed, chilled, or at room temperature. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for at least 4 or 5 days.

To create a creamy, smooth as velvet sauce, it helps to have a high-speed blender, but with patient soaking and longer blending it should work just fine with a regular blender.

I experimented with this dish for Thanksgiving for the first time. It was such a big hit, I felt it could be a terrific side dish any time during the holiday season.

Then, the following year, I decided to bring more colors to the platter with multi-colored sweet potatoes. In addition to the familiar orange yams, my local Korean market had yellow sweet potatoes and a delicious variety of purple ones called Okinawan sweet potatoes. The lighting wasn’t at its best for a great photo, but I think the result is so appealing I wanted to share it.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH SIZZLING CHILE SAUCE

Yield: 6 servings

Sweet Potatoes

5 or 6 medium yellow or orange sweet potatoes

Sizzling Chile Sauce (recipe below)

Parsley sprigs, for garnish

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped purple cabbage, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (Gas Mark 6) and have ready a large rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

2. Scrub the sweet potatoes, put them on the prepared baking sheet, and roast for 50 to 60 minutes, or until they are soft when gently pressed. Prepare the Sizzling Chile Sauce while the sweet potatoes are baking.

3. When the sweet potatoes are done, peel them and cut them into 1-inch thick slices. Arrange them on a large platter, overlapping the slices. Garnish with the parsley and cabbage. Alternatively, drizzle some of the sauce over the center of each potato slice.

 

Sizzling Chile Sauce (Makes about 3 cups)

2 ounces (56g) Melissa’s dried Hatch chiles or California chiles (about 8 to 10 dried chiles)

3 cups (720 ml) boiling water

2/3 cup (160 ml) chopped onions

5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup (80 ml) coarsely chopped almonds

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar

1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar or other mild vinegar

1. Prepare the Sizzling Chile Sauce while the sweet potatoes are baking. Using kitchen scissors, cut the chiles open and discard the seeds, ribs, and stems. Snip the chiles into coarse pieces and put them in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chiles to cover. Set aside to soften for about 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, combine the onions, garlic, and olive oil in a 10-inch (25 cm) skillet. Cook and stir over high or medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften. Add 1 or more tablespoons of water if needed to prevent burning the onions and garlic.

3. Add the almonds and sesame seeds to the pan and cook another minute or two.

4. Transfer the onion mixture to a blender and add the salt, brown sugar, and vinegar.

5. When the chiles have softened, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the blender. Add 1 cup (240 ml) of the chile soak water and process for a full minute or two until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings, if needed, and serve the sauce on the side.

Alternative serving suggestion: Spoon a line of the sauce down the center of the overlapped sweet potato slices and add a pinch of minced parsley over the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

 

This recipe is part of a fun blogging chain that includes about 96 innovative bloggers sharing amazing holiday recipes. You can easily move backward or forward through the Potluck chain to explore a banquet of tantalizing recipe posts crossing many continents.

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Enjoy the fun holiday recipes and have a holiday blast!!!!!