White Sweet Potatoes With Mirin And Honey Recipes

WHITE SWEET POTATOES WITH MIRIN AND HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a well-seasoned 8"-10" cast-iron skillet in oven.
• Pierce potatoes in several spots with a fork. Microwave sweet potatoes on high for 5 minutes. (Alternatively, wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake at 450°F until tender around edges but still hard in center, 30-35 minutes.) Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Whisk mirin, honey, vinegar, and salt in a medium bowl. Peel sweet potatoes and cut crosswise into 1"-1 1/2"-thick rounds. Add to mirin mixture; toss to coat.
• Using oven mitts, carefully remove heated skillet from oven; add oil and swirl pan to coat. Add sweet potatoes and mirin mixture to skillet, arranging potatoes cut side down. Bake until sweet potatoes are caramelized on one side, 15-20 minutes. Turn sweet potatoes, rotating them around pan to avoid hot spots, and cook until tender and caramelized, 5-7 minutes longer.
• Transfer sweet potatoes to a platter. Add 2 tablespoons water to skillet, scraping up browned bits. Add butter, swirling pan to melt and combine. Pour sauce over sweet potatoes. Season with salt.

HASSELBACK SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Shave a thin sliver from one side of each potato to give it a flat surface to stand on while you slice it. Make thin slices into the potato about 1/16-inch thick, stopping before you cut all the way through. (Placing a chopstick on either side of the potato while you slice it can help stop the blade before it cuts all the way through.) Put each potato on a separate sheet of foil. Shape the foil around the potatoes to wrap them, but leave the tops open and exposed. Put the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat, swirling occasionally, until browned and nutty, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Drizzle the butter mixture over the potatoes and pinch the foil together on top to seal the potato inside. Bake for 45 minutes, then let cool for a few moments. Remove the potatoes from the foil, put them on a serving platter and drizzle with the sauce leftover in each foil packet. Sprinkle with the pecans before serving.

SWEET POTATOES SIMMERED WITH HIJIKI

Steps:

• Scrub the sweet potato and cut into matchsticks. Soak for a few minutes in cold water.
• Break the hijiki into short lengths and soak in water to cover. Drain the sweet potato and pat dry.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the sweet potato, and saute for a few minutes. Drain the hijiki, reserving the soaking water, and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add to the sweet potato and toss lightly so that all the surfaces are coated with oil.
• Blend 1 cup of the reserved hijiki soaking water with the soy sauce, sugar or honey, sake or mirin, and pour over the sweet potato-hijiki mixture. Cover, lower the heat, and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked. Uncover and cook for 2 minutes over medium-high heat to reduce the liquid. Stir well, then drain the vegetables and stir in the sesame seeds.
• Serve hot or at room temperature, in small mounds in the center of small, deep bowls.