WEDNESDAY

Split Pea Soup  |  Southwestern-Spiced Sweet Potato Fries with Chile-Cilantro Sour Cream

Before we get started here, let’s {finally} establish the difference between Sweet Potatoes & Yams.

OK…not so fast!  I need to entertain you with a lot of  useless commentary about this issue & how it came to pass in our family {because tonight’s dinner post is so short}…

The way it works in our family is…I am the gatherer (I collect recipes and, well, things ~ LOTS of things…}, Michael is the hunter {he goes out and acquires those things that I have selected}.  Well, we are actually not that primitive, but the rationale really works for this story tonight!  You see, I make the dinner and grocery lists every week and Michael {my knight in shining armor} saves me from the masses at CostCo, Whole Foods, etc. by doing the weekly shopping at those places.  Off-limits…is the Farmer’s Market ~ that one I do, eagerly & happily, EVERY week.  Getting back to my story…I can’t tell you how many times I put sweet potatoes on my list {seeking the sweet, orange-fleshed variety} and Michael returned home, after so proudly conquering the grocery list, to reveal a white-fleshed tuber.  One day, I finally asked him to get yams, searching for that sweet, sugary flesh and…he struck gold  {or rather ORANGE}!  So I thought to myself, “Why all the confusion”?  Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams.  Thank you Bon Appétit for finally shedding clarity on this subject!  Click here to see the Sweet Potato vs. Yam debate SOLVED!  Looks like we will be serving Sweet Potato fries after-all tonight.  BTW…the Sweet Potato Fries recipe here tonight won “Best Sweet Potato Recipe” at FOOD52.com!  FYI…that is HUGE!

But first…the Split Pea Soup.  I took Ina Garten’s recipe and adapted it for the slow-cooker.  I needed to be out today, almost all day, at Committee meetings/high-school registration for Max/riding lessons, so I needed something working in my favor towards a dinner goal while I was running around.  This soup fit the bill & was incredibly delicious…

Split Pea Soup {adapted from Ina Garten}

• 1/8 cup high quality olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3-4 carrots, diced
• 3 small, red boiling potatoes, diced {unpeeled}
• 1 pound dried split green peas
• 8 cups chicken stock {preferably homemade}

1. In a large heavy stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat & sauté the onions with the oregano, salt & pepper until the onions are translucent, 10-15 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, peas and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes.  Skim off the foam while cooking.
3. Transfer mixture to a slow-cooker and cook, on LOW, for 8 hours or until the peas are soft.  Taste for salt & pepper.   Serve HOT.

OK…so that was easy!  Now for those SWEET POTATOES {definitely NOT yams ~ although that was how they were marked at Whole Foods}…

Southwestern Spiced Sweet Potato Fries { adapted from Food52.com}

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into large batons {~¼” - 2″}
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place the sweet potato batons with the olive oil in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add the remaining ingredients to the bag.  Seal the bag & shake to coat.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange potatoes in one layer on baking sheet.  Bake in oven for 15 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and, with a spatula, turn potatoes.  Return pan to oven and cook for another 15 minutes.
4. Remove from oven & serve with Chile-Cilantro Sour Cream.

Now, for this ADDICTIVE  Chile-Cilantro Sour Cream.  Seriously, everyone in the family wanted to eat this sauce as a soup…it was THAT great!  Could have been because the fries were SOOOO spicy & this sauce was so cool but I think it was just because it was FABULOUS!!!  I doubled the original recipe…c’mon, it is fries & dip after all!

Chile-Cilantro Sour Cream {adapted from Food52.com}

• 2 cups sour cream
• 1½ tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1½ tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 small garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ heaping tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Combine all of the ingredients except the cilantro in a medium bowl and whisk together.  Stir in cilantro.

We all kept talking about how many ways this sauce could be used…great with tortilla chips, fabulous with buffalo chicken wings, a veritable veggie dip…the list goes on.   Try it for yourself & let me know how you put it to work on your menu!  Oh…before I forget, this is our dinner plate tonight…

Oh, and by-the-way, check out my Tumblr site & see why “Going Out To Eat on Valentine’s Day is NOT the Best Idea“…