SUBTLE SUGAR AND SPICE SWEET POTATOES WITH PEANUTS

"Many post-World War II recipes load sweet potatoes with added sugar and flavorings. This recipe presents the potato with only enough sugar and spice to bring out its natural sweetness,"

2 large sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne or red chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup coarsely crushed Toasted and Spiced Peanuts (recipe follows)

Half-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 2-inch chunks. When the water boils, add the potatoes to the pot. Cook at a lively simmer until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork or cake tester, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.

Add the butter to the pot and sprinkle the sugar, pepper and salt over the potatoes. Use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes to a creamy consistency.

Mound them on four individual plates and use a serving spoon to make an indentation in the top of each mound. Place 1 tablespoon of peanuts in each indentation and serve immediately.

TOASTED AND SPICED PEANUTS
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne or red chili pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 1/2 cups fresh Spanish peanuts, shelled, skin on
1 1/2 tablespoons water

In a cup or small bowl, mix together the salt, cayenne and brown sugar. Set aside.

In a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the peanuts and toast for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the skillet or gently stirring the peanuts with a metal spatula to keep them from burning.

When the peanuts are golden brown, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on the salt mixture, stirring quickly to distribute it evenly. Drizzle the water over the peanuts. (Don't dump all of the water in at once, and do be careful of sizzling splashes.) Stir or shake very gently until the water is absorbed and the seasonings "set" on the peanuts.

Turn the peanuts out into a bowl and serve warm (the best) or let cool and store in a covered container.

Yield: 4 servings
Source: Butter Beans to Blackberries: Recipes from a Southern Garden by Ronni Lundy