Roasted Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes

An accompaniment that can be used in lots of situations. Both simple and delicious.

This recipe is in response to requests for my recipe for roasted garlic mashed sweet potatoes to accompany the Pork with Sundried Cherry and Shitake Mushroom Sauce recipe. They would also be great with sauteed turkey cutlets (I'd serve steamed fresh spinach with lemon butter as the vegetable).

• 1 head garlic
• olive oil
• 4 or 5 large sweet potatoes (the light yellow ones, not the orange yams)
• 4-6 Tbsp butter
• 1/4-1/2 cup half & half (or light cream or whipping cream, your decision), warmed
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Cut the top off whole, unpeeled garlic head (about 1/4 inch - just enough to cut the tips off the cloves). Drizzle lightly with olive oil and either place in baking pan or wrap loosely in foil. Bake in 250 degree oven for 40-50 minutes.

Bake potatoes in 425 degree oven for 1 hour or until tender (if cooking with the pork in 325 degree oven cook for 1 1/2 hours or so). Halve and scoop flesh into heavy saucepan. Mash. Squeeze roasted garlic into potatoes, add butter and mash while adding cream a little at a time. Add salt and white pepper.

This is an absolutely wonderful dish but to be alsolutely truthful I usually cheat when I make it. Since I often don't plan what I'm making for dinner until I get home from work, roasting garlic is the last thing I have time for. Instead I break down the head into individual cloves and peel them. Then very slowly simmer in a couple Tbsp of butter (about 10 minutes), then add about 3-4 Tbsp cream and salt and simmer, covered, over very low heat, for about 20 minutes. This mixture then gets mashed into the potatoes that have been mashed with additional butter (I'm not noted for being a low cal cook - if you're going to indulge do it right. Potatoes mashed with skim milk and butter substitute just don't cut it!)

by Vivian Bryan