Sweet Potato Crème Fraîche And Caviar Bites Recipes

SWEET POTATOES WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• Slice 2 sweet potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick rounds. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees F until crisp, about 15 minutes, then cool on a rack. Mix 2 tablespoons chopped chives with 1/4 cup creme fraiche; dollop on the potatoes and top with caviar.

SWEET POTATO CONFIT WITH CHORIZO AND CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together crème fraîche and citrus juice and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the dish. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Scrub but do not peel the sweet potatoes, then slice into 1/2-inch-thick disks. Place in a single layer in one large baking dish, or in 2 smaller baking dishes if all the slices won't fit. (A few slices can overlap, but keep this to a minimum.) Season well with salt and black pepper. Pour in enough olive oil to just cover slices. If a few edges are exposed, don't worry. If also using bacon fat, pour or spoon it over the slices.
• Bake for 1 hour or until fork tender. Remove the baking dish from the oven, let the oil cool slightly, then carefully remove the slices with a slotted spatula, letting most of the oil drip back into the baking dish before placing the slices on a plate or sheet pan. Reserve 4 tablespoons oil and set aside. (At this point the slices can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
• In a large, heavy skillet, place 2 tablespoons of the reserved oil, the butter and the chorizo over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the sausage into the smallest bits you can and stirring occasionally to render the fat, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Heat another large sauté pan, or a griddle over medium-high heat, and add the sweet potato slices in batches, frying a couple of minutes on each side until they start to crisp and caramelize. (The sweet potatoes can cook in the pan without additional fat, but if they are sticking, you can use a bit more of the reserved oil.) Add sweet potatoes and pecans to the pan with the chorizo and gently turn the slices a few times until they are well coated, being careful not to break them.
• Remove sweet potatoes to a serving plate, spoon remaining chorizo-pecan mixture evenly over the slices, then add small dollops of creme fraîche. Sprinkle with torn mint leaves. Serve immediately, with any remaining crème fraîche on the side.

SWEET POTATO, CRèME FRAîCHE, AND CAVIAR BITES

Steps:

• Cut the sweet potatoes crosswise into 1/4 inch slices with a large sharp knife and with a sharp 1- to 1 1/2-inch decorative cutter cut a decorative shape from each slice. Steam the sweet potatoes in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are just tender, arrange them in one layer on a plate, and let them cool, their surface covered with plastic wrap. Chill the sweet potatoes for at least 1 hour or overnight. The sweet potatoes my be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Arrange the sweet potatoes, patted dry, on serving plates, top each piece with 1/2 teaspoon of the crème fraîche and 1/8 teaspoon caviar, and garnish the "bites" with the dill.

SWEET POTATO BLINIS WITH CURED SALMON, CREME FRAICHE, AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Place prepared sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, and cook until the potatoes are tender and can be mashed easily with a fork. Drain well and return to the saucepan. Add the honey and 4 tablespoons of the butter and mash until smooth. If possible, puree this mixture in food mill. In a small bowl, combine the milk and eggs and stir in the sweet potato puree. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Add the dry ingredients to the sweet potatoes and stir until just blended.
• Melt the remaining butter and reserve. Heat non-stick skillets over medium-heat and coat with some of melted butter. Drop sweet potato mixture into skillets in 1 1/2-tablespoon amounts. Turn once, cooking until golden and crisp, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining butter and batter. The pancakes can stand at room temperature for 2 hours. Reheat in a 325 degree F. oven for 5 minutes before serving.
• To serve, arrange 3 blinis on a plate and garnish each with a slice of cured salmon, a dollop of creme fraiche and a small spoonful of caviar.

BAKED POTATOES WITH CRéME FRAICHE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in center. Bake potatoes directly on rack until darkened slightly, beginning to wrinkle, and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on size).
• Working one at a time, immediately wrap potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and slam down onto a countertop (this ensures a light, fluffy texture). Slash potatoes to open, season, and top generously with dollops of crème fraîche and scoops of caviar. Serve immediately.

SAVORY SWEET POTATO GRATINS WITH CREME FRAICHE, ONIONS, AND BACO

Steps:

• Lightly grease 2 individual baking dishes (that hold roughly 1 1/2 cups) or an 8 x 8 baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small saute pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from heat, and toss with onion and garlic.
• In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, and cook until the mixture is well combined but still pale. Stir in the milk and the creme fraiche.
• Reduce the heat to low and bring the bechamel to a simmer. Stir in nutmeg, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
• Layer 4-6 slices of potato at the base of each of the prepared baking dishes. Top with a few tablespoons of bechamel, and a few spoonfuls of the bacon mixture. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, another layer of bechamel, and more bacon. Top with one last layer of potatoes, and spoon remaining bechamel over the top. Finish with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese.
• Bake the gratins until they are bubbly around the edges and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

HERB-BAKED POTATO CHIPS WITH CRèME FRAîCHE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375° F. and brush 3 large baking sheets generously with some oil.
• With a mandoline or other manual slicer cut 1 potato crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Immediately arrange slices in one layer on 1 baking sheet and brush with some remaining oil. Sprinkle potatoes with dill and salt and pepper to taste.
• Bake slices in middle of oven until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, and with a metal spatula immediately transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat procedure with remaining potatoes and baking sheets in same manner. Potato chips may be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
• Top potato chips with 1 teaspoon each of caviar and crème fraîche or sour cream, side by side.

POTATOES AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• In a saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water; bring to a boil and simmer until tender but still quite firm when pierced with the tip of a knife; remove all but 4 potatoes and continue to cook these 4 until soft.
• When cool, cut the tops off the group of 24 potatoes; scoop out the flesh with a melon baller, leaving a 1/4" thick wall; place the pulp in a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water to keep it warm; peel and add the 4 remaining potatoes.
• Cut a small slice off the bottom of each potato so that they will stand upright on a baking sheet; preheat the oven to 375°; Heat the milk and melt the butter in a small saucepan; push the potato flesh through a ricer, food mill or wide-meshed sieve.
• Stir the milk into the potatoes a bit at a time, until they are creamy; add creme fraiche, salt and pepper and 1 T chives; pipe the potatoes into the shells, making sure the cut edges are covered.
• Bake until golden brown and slightly puffed, about 15 minutes; brush with melted butter and bake another 15 minutes; remove from oven and top with caviar and chives.