if it sounds like heaven, well, that’s because it is. what is more southern than sweet potatoes AND cornmeal? nothing. and when eaten together in one dish, well, you might as well start punctuating every sentence with “bless your heart” and “y’all.” 😉
we just had spoonbread a few nights ago when my family was here, but i’d been eyeing this sweet potato version since thanksgiving when i saw it in my mother-in-law’s house beautiful. see…wouldn’t this photo pull at your heartstrings, too? (this photo came straight from hb and the cookbook itself)
since my mom swears by our family’s spoonbread recipe, i decided to combine it with the one in the magazine that was taken from the new southern cookbook Basic to Brilliant. i think it’s the PERFECT side for spicy pork, glazed chicken, or even my own whiskey and wine venison. here goes nothin’…
(adapated from my grandmother’s friend Velma’s classic spoonbread recipe AND Basic To Brilliant, Y’All: 150 Refined Southern Recipes and Ways to Dress Them Up for Company, by Virginia Willis)
– 1/2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated (grating takes FOREVER. i went with the smallest size my microplaner would grate)
– Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
– Pinch of ground cinnamon (willis’ also calls for 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger. ick. i left this out)
– 1 stick unsalted butter
grate the sweet potato (this will take awhile. and your hand may cramp. but it’s worth it.)
in a large, heavy saucepan, combine the milk and butter (make sure it’s still cold) and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. slowly add the cornmeal, whisking constantly. add the sweet potato. season with salt and white pepper. decrease the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the cornmeal is creamy and thick. add the ground cinnamon (and the ginger, if you must. ick). taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and white pepper.
preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. butter an ovenproof casserole or round 2-quart soufflé mold. to the sweet potato-grits mixture, add the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring after each addition. In a separate bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites with some serious elbow grease OR as ms. willis suggests…on high speed until stiff peaks form. gently add the egg whites into the warm sweet potato mixture. transfer the lightened mixture to the prepared pan; smooth the surface with a spatula. bake until the outside is puffed and risen, the inside is firm but moist, and the top is golden brown, 45 minutes. serve immediately while still puffed.
yes, it’s orange. and yes, it’s good.
