My favorite reason for eating in is that it brings people together and allows them to share. This is a counterintuitive statement for someone whose own family dinner table has always been a bit of a black hole, but perhaps that’s exactly why cooking with friends feels so satisfying to me. Last Friday ended with a group dinner at my apartment, and the final day of the challenge was devoted to my friends’ baby shower, which involved a very busy kitchen, a fried sweet potato recipe I learned from my mom, and a whole lot of tiny clothing.

Pan Fried Candied Yams
-Sliced or diced raw sweet potatoes
-Oil (preferably vegetable or peanut, but olive works)
-Brown sugar
-Honey
-Lemon juice

1. Mix honey and a conservative amount of brown sugar in a saucepan and heat on lowest setting possible.
Stir and add lemon juice as needed to mix everything into a consistent glaze with the texture of maple syrup.

2. Heat oil in frying pan or skillet on medium. When oil begins to bubble, add potatoes (be wary of hot oil).
Fry until potatoes are cooked, with crisp, browned edges. Transfer to paper towel.

3. Toss cooked potatoes in the glaze saucepan for just a few seconds. You don’t have to coat the potatoes completely.

4. Allow potatoes to cool on a clean plate, then serve.

Sunday’s Meals
-Yogurt with frozen berries, sliced banana and granola
-Roasted mushrooms stuffed with cream cheese and garlic
-Fresh shrimp sauteed in butter and garlic
-Roasted chicken legs
-Pan-fried candied yams
-Coconut rice
-Steel cut oats with ripe banana

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 7:59 pm and is filed under New York.