Recipe: Roast Sweet Potato Puree With Six Variations

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: Save any leftovers to stir into soup, enrich chili, and fold into pancake or waffle batter. The purée will keep up to a week in the refrigerator and freezes beautifully. In lieu of butter, try mashing in local hazelnut oil to add a subtle, dark, nutty flavor. From Beth Dooley.

• 1 1/2 to 2 lb. sweet potatoes, scrubbed

• 2 to 3 tbsp. butter, hazelnut or olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork. Set on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove and allow to cool. Peel sweet potatoes and place in a large bowl or a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Work in the remaining ingredients until smooth but retaining a little texture.

• Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, to taste. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

• Add 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice, 1 tablespoon grated orange zest, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 2 teaspoons honey, to taste.

• Tuck 3 to 4 whole garlic cloves under the sweet potatoes as they roast. Remove the roasted garlic peels and mash into the sweet potatoes with an additional 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.

• Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt, and a generous pinch of grated nutmeg to the mash. Garnish with chopped nuts.