Five Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Ahhh Thanksgiving…it’s like the Super Bowl for foodies.  And it can also bring about hours of undue stress on those brave enough to host Thanksgiving dinner.  This year, we’re having friends over for the big day…some of whom are serious foodies.  No pressure there at all.  I’ve already ordered the turkey (from Groff’s Content Farm) and have opted to use the Barefoot Contessa’s Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter recipe to fancy it up.  With the bird squared away, I decided to turn my attention to side dishes.  I loved the brussels sprouts, bacon and fig dish I made a few months ago, so it was a no brainer to add it to the menu.  Not only is it an easy dish to whip up, it has a sophisticated look and taste that will wow any dinner guest.  But what else was I going to bring to the table?  I searched the web and became overwhelmed with all the options.  There I was, rocking back and forth and chanting “too many dishes…too many dishes”.  And then I received the November issue of Food and Wine in the mail (otherwise known as my salvation).  Hello, nurse!

The magazine was bursting at the seams with Thanksgiving suggestions, emphasizing a “back to the classics” approach to turkey day.  Although the ingredients were typical Thanksgiving fare (mashed potatoes, green beans and sweet potatoes, to name a few), the recipes elevated them above the scary casseroles one remembers from their youth.  One such dish was their Five Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes topped with Walnut Toffee.  No odd conglomerations of raisins and marshmallows for these sweet potatoes (sorry Mom…I still love your sweet potato souffle).  Adding the aromatic pungency of Chinese Five Spice powder (a combination of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and Szechuan peppercorns) to a traditionally (and sometimes overly) sweet dish brings a completely different feel to these potatoes.

I decided to make a test batch of the recipe to make sure it was worthy enough to end up on the plates of my foodie friends.  And instead of using regular sweet potatoes, I decided to work with some white sweet potatoes I got from Garner’s Produce.  Also called Cuban sweet potatoes, white sweet potatoes aren’t as sweet as the more familiar orange sweet potatoes.  For this recipe, using the white sweet potatoes turned out to be an asset.  The sugar and spice combination of the glaze didn’t overpower the potato, bringing out an almost smoky flavor.  Instead of using the walnut toffee, I used some of the excess glaze to create a candy coating for the walnuts.  I knew instantly this dish would stand up well against a (fingers crossed) deliciously herbed bird.