Recipe: Butternut and Sweet Potato Puree

Butternut and Sweet Potato Puree
Source: The Hudson River Valley Cookbook, by Waldy Malouf

2 large sweet potatoes
1-pound butternut squash
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Cut the squash in half vertically and scrape out the seeds. Put the vegetables, cut side up, in a baking pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake, uncovered, until they are very soft, at least 1 1/2 hours. Scoop the potato and squash out of the skins, combine them, and mash until smooth.

Put the orange juice, butter, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and heat, reducing until it is about 1/4 cup syrup. Discard the cinnamon stick. Stir the orange syrup into the mashed vegetables, season with salt and pepper, transfer to a small casserole, and reheat gently in the oven or on top of the stove.

Serves 4.