Bacon Maple Sage Sweet Potatoes

These sweet potatoes were FANTASTIC and I’ll be putting them on my holiday menu for years to come. Since I gave up added sugar almost a year ago my taste buds have changed and most things sweetened for the regular population are entirely too sweet for me. I honestly can’t believe that we add sugar and marshmallows to sweet potatoes. They are so incredibly sweet already. So I created a savory version to balance out the sweetness.

I’ve found that the quickest way to cook sweet potatoes is to steam them because they seem to take all day in the oven. I also recently read somewhere that baked sweet potatoes have a higher glycemic index than boiled sweet potatoes. I’m not sure how steamed sweet potatoes rate on the scale but I’m guessing that it has to be less than a baked sweet potato.

Using 12 sage leaves there were hints of sage in the dish but it wasn’t overpowering. If you’d like more of a pronounced sage flavor simply use more leaves. Frying sage leaves can be tricky because it’s a super quick process. If the leaves turn brown they are burnt whereas they will be dark green when they are crispy. I usually cook both sides for a total time of about 60 seconds, 30 seconds each side. A pair of tongs is very handy for this quick task.

Where is the Photo?

I began this blog because I want to help my friends find REAL FOOD to eat. I’m a stay at home mom with a 4-year-old boy so my days are busy with a bundle of energy. Each afternoon we go to Taekwondo lessons and during the day I’m trying to begin homeschooling. My husband works in emergency medicine so when he goes to work it’s either for 12 or 24 hours. Sometimes he’ll work at one of the bases outside of town and he’ll be gone for a few days at a time. What I am trying to covey is that I don’t always have time to take the perfect photograph.

I have a notebook of recipes but I don’t always have the time to take perfect photos to go with each one. As the little one gets older I’m hoping to have more time but for now I’ll share what I can. Some posts may contain photos taken from my cell phone camera and others may not have any photos. In the future my goal is to go back and remedy this situation but for now I’m going to share recipes as I create them.

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Bacon Maple Sage Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes peeled and diced
• 7 slices thick bacon
• 2 TBSP bacon fat
• 12 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 TBSP maple syrup

Instructions

1. Cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks and steam them just until they are fork tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. 

2. While the potatoes are steaming cook the bacon in the oven. Put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet to catch the oil from the bacon. 

   Time and temperature will depend on the thickness of your bacon and how crispy you like it. For thick sliced bacon I use 375F and let it bake 20 minutes or so. After it's cool I cut it into bite sized pieces about 1/2" thick.
   

3. When the bacon and sweet potatoes are almost done melt your fat of choice in a skillet and add the fresh sage leaves to fry. Using 12 sage leaves there were hints of sage in the dish but it wasn't overpowering. If you'd like more of a pronounced sage flavor simply use more leaves. Cook both sides for a total time of about 60 seconds, 30 seconds each side. A pair of tongs is very handy for this quick task.
   

4. In a bowl add the sweet potatoes, bacon, crumbled sage leaves, and salt. Pour the fat the sage leaves were cooked in over the potatoes along with maple syrup. Toss to combine and enjoy.

Originally posted on March 4, 2017 @ 11:57

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