Sweet Potato
2 1/2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup raw, unsweetened grated coconut
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted vegan butter
1/3 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped
Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, a rack in the upper third.
Butter or oil 6 ramekins or a single medium-sized casserole
dish.
Wrap each sweet potato in foil, pierce numerous times with the
tines of a fork and place in the oven for somewhere between an
hour and an hour and a half, until each is baked through.
Times vary greatly depending on the size of your sweet potatoes
- in the end you should be able to cut through the center flesh
as if it were soft butter.
Remove the potatoes from the oven, let them cool for a few
minutes, and cut each sweet potato in half.
Scrape the flesh into a medium mixing bowl. You should have
about three cups of sweet potatoes. In a large bowl mash the
sweet potatoes with the coconut milk. If sweet potatoes are on
the fibrous side, take a hand blender to them for a minute or so
(alternately you could use a food processor).
Stir in the ginger, maple syrup and salt.
Let it sit for a few minutes, stir again and taste - adjust the
seasoning if needed to.
Spoon the sweet potato mixture into individual baking dishes (or
single larger baking dish), sprinkle with coconut, drizzle with
olive oil and bake uncovered until warm and the coconut golden
roughly 30 - 40 minutes.
Remove and sprinkle with the toasted macadamia nuts.
Serves about 6.