Thanksgiving Recipes, Part 2

These sweet potatos are, without question, the best sweet potatos I've ever had. The pecans, the apples, the cranberries, all combine with the sweet potatos to make a perfect Thanksgiving (or really any fall day) side dish.

Growing up I hated sweet potatos. The only time of year we ever had them was Thanksgiving. We had the canned yam topped with marshmallow variety and it was awful. I wouldnt even think about trying them.

Then one day I had sweet potato fries at a restaurant with a honey lime dipping sauce... and they were delicious.

So I got a little braver... and tried a baked sweet potato at another restaurant, sprinkled with brown sugar and butter. Also excellent. So then I tried making them at home and I discovered, that I really liked sweet potatos...

And now I think they are my new favorite side dish. So long as they aren't mashed. I still dont like mashed potatos, sweet or not.

Sweet Potato Bake with Cinnamon Crunch Topping

Recipe inspired by Cooking On The Side, originally from McCormick

4 large sweet potatos

2 apples

1 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 cup all purpose flour

4 T butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter or spray a 9x13 baking dish. Peel and chop the sweet potatos and apples into large chunks. Add cranberries and toss with brown sugar and 1/2 of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger, vanilla extract and orange juice. Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile mix together flour, remaining brown sugar, spices, and cut in butter using a pastry blender or forks until it forms a crumble. Add pecans and sprinkle over the top of potato mix. Continue baking uncovered for another 30 - 45 minutes until potatos are fork tender. Recover with foil if top begins to brown too much.