Kosher Dairy Super Simple Candied Yams

Last week I offered a fancy alternative to traditional candied yams. This week, I've been reminded that some people like tradition.

These are so simple I almost feel guilty calling this a recipe. There's something wrong with that, though. I learned how to make channa masala before I learned how to make a tuna sandwich because people assumed everyone knows how to do that.

There are a lot of simple foods out there which people love but don't have a clue how to make. Thus I present to you the easiest and most reliable recipe I've ever had for that holiday classic, candied yams. The great thing about these is, if you're a new cook, they're almost impossible to mess up. If you're new to cooking and want something to bring to a dairy meal without any fancy schmancy holiday stress, give these a try.

• 3 large sweet potatoes/yams
• 2 sticks butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt

You new cooks will need a cake pan for this. If you don't own one, a disposable aluminum one from the store works great. Either way, bringing your own pan means you already have something to carry leftovers home in. Aren't you smart!

Back at your own place, well before festivities begin, preheat your oven to 400F. Peel the potatoes. Now comes the hard part - hack the potatoes into roughly 1/2 inch discs. Now, the thing about sweet potatoes and yams is that they're incredibly dense. Cutting them takes some muscle. If the only knife you own is a wobbly steak knife you stole from the cafeteria back in college, you might be in for some trouble. Try wrapping a washcloth around the handle to give you more leverage.

Once you've mightily sawed your discs, cut one stick of butter into 4 big chunks and put one at each corner of the pan. Now dump in all your hard fought sweet potato slices. Cut the second stick of butter into 4 pieces and scatter them on top of the yams. Dump the brown sugar pretty evenly over the whole mess.

Put the pan in the oven at 400 and bake for 45 minutes. Now, it'd be nice if all ovens were equal, but we know that's not the case. At 45 minutes, check and see if they're done. If you can stab all the way through one with a fork, you're good. If not, cook them for another 15 minutes.

The yams should now be swimming in a delicious concoction of sugar and butter. Try one. You'll like it. Now seal that pan tight with aluminum foil. That'll keep the heat and moisture in.

When you get to your host's for Thanksgiving, politely wait until the oven is empty for a bit and pop the pan inside (still safely sealed in foil) for about 10 minutes. This is just to warm the yams up. Don't worry about the temperature of the oven. Whatever your host's have it set at is just fine. Trust me.

VARIATIONS:

If you're feeling a little fancy, add 2 tsp of cinnamon along with the brown sugar.

If you're feeling a lot fancy, top the whole mess with kosher marshmallows. Politely wait your turn until the oven is empty, then pop your pan in there long enough for the yams to reheat a little and the marshmallows to brown - for me, about 8 - 10 minutes, but your mileage may vary. Ovens lose a lot of heat at Thanksgiving with all the opening and closing.

If you're impatient and your hosts happen to possess both a creme brulee torch and a sense of humor, feel free to amuse your fellow guests by piling on a thin layer of marshmallows and carefully setting them on fire browning them with the gentle flames. It's festive!

Kosher Parve Mashed Sweet Potatoes Stuffed in Oranges

These are a great presentation dish for a dinner of 8 or less. If you're having a dozen or more people over for Thanksgiving, they can turn into a hassle.

Ironically, the best oranges for stuffing are not the tastiest ones for seasoning. Pick big, fat navel oranges with as flat a bottom as you can find. They're just for cosmetics. The actual orange juice should come from whatever OJ you normally drink at home (I go for the pulp free Tropicana with extra calcium myself.)

The banana may seem like an odd addition, but it helps firm up the potatoes while also adding an extra hint of sweetness. Go on. Give it at try.

• 8 large, attractive navel oranges, roughly the same size
• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 banana
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
  Peel and boil the sweet potatoes until soft. Drain the potatoes. If you don't need the pot for other things (holidays can be hectic) just dump them back in. If you do, put them in a large bowl for mashing. Add the banana, cinnamon, oil, salt, and orange juice. Mash the whole mess until it's well blended. The oil is just there to act as food glue, helping hold all the other ingredients together.

  Give it a taste. Some people like their holiday potatoes sweeter. Feel free to double the cinnamon, add 1/4 cup of brown sugar, or, if they're still fairly firm, 1/4 cup more orange juice.

  Cut the tops of the oranges. Hollow out the insides with a spoon and throw away the pulp. The goal here is to keep the oranges as solid and presentable as possible. Once you have nice, hollow oranges, stuff them with the sweet potato mix. Top the mix with generous sprinkles of brown sugar.

  After stuffing the oranges, there should be enough remaining for leftovers. These reheat just fine in a microwave. If in doubt, add 1 tbsp water or OJ before nuking.

  If you're in a hurry or not interested in schmancy presentation food, just put the whole mashed mess in a bowl and top it with brown sugar.

  VARIATIONS

  A slightly tropical flair works well for these. Try substituting pineapple juice for the orange juice.

  If you're not afraid of the spice blends, a teaspoon of "pumpkin pie spice" adds some flavor.

  You can add some Kosher Marshmallows to the top as well, but keep in mind that while the marshamllows are parve, they're made from fish gelatin and therefore aren't vegan. If serving vegetarians, check to see if fish is permissible in their diet.

Kosher Parve Honey Lime Yams

This parve alternative to the usual butter drenched candied yams goes great with spicy foods. It's also lower in fat and calories, but that's just a bonus.

• 2 large yams or sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup honey
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne

Preheat your oven to 400F. Peel the yams and slice them into roughly 1/2 inch circles. The thinner you slice the yams, the faster they'll cook, but you don't want to slice them so thin you end up with slightly mushy yam fries.

Mix the honey, lime juice, salt, and cayenne in a bowl.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Dip each slice of yam into the honey/lime mix. Spread the yam slices in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Repeat on a second cookie sheet if you have more yam slices. Drizzle the remaining mix over the top of the yams. You don't want to take the easy route by layering the slices then drowning them in the mix because the honey will just pool between the slices and burn.

Bake at 400F for 30 minutes, or until the yams are tender.

Kosher Parve Wasabi/Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

I find these wasabi/horseradish potatoes go great with beef dishes. Try them alongside a nicely peppered New York Strip Steak (with a bit of extra horseradish on the side for the meat.)

• 3 pounds potatoes
• 1 cup soy creamer OR 1 cup soy milk + 1 tbsp light vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tbsp horseradish - FRESH, NOT PREPARED! (Prepared horseradish often has dairy)
• 1/2 tbsp green wasabi paste
• 1 tsp fresh ground white pepper

I recommend peeling the potatoes. You can leave the skins on if you prefer, but I think the added texture distracts too much in this recipe. Skinned or not, boil and drain the potatoes then return them to their original pot. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth. This is just to ensure even distribution in the potatoes. You don't want to accidentally bite into a lump of pure wasabi. Add the mix to the pot of potatoes and mash until you reach your desired texture. I like mine a little lumpy, but you're welcome to get out a hand mixer if you prefer them uniformly smooth. If you'd like your potatoes a little creamier, add 1/4 cup soy creamer/soy milk. Don't add more sesame oil. It's more for flavor than texture.

If you want the flavor with a little less kick, cut the wasabi and horseradish in half and double the salt. If you're the type who loves the way horseradish clears your nostrils, go nuts with it. Or try adding a few cloves of garlic to enhance the flavor.

A note of caution - both prepared horseradish and some cheap wasabi pastes can be made with dairy. Please check the labels to be sure of what you're getting before you take anything home.

Kosher Parve Garlic Mashed Potatoes

In this age of excellent milk substitutes, parve mashed potatoes don't have to be mealy and dry. You can get that rich, creamy texture from nut milks.

In exchange for the texture, you're going to have to spice the potatoes up a little. Silk brand coffee creamer is a real joy in mashed potatoes, but there's no denying the heavy the nutty taste. I haven't been able to lay hands on Wildwood Organic's soy creamer, although I hear good things about it. 8th Continent soymilk tastes a lot more like the real thing (I especially love their light chocolate soymilk), but like most soymilks, is too low in fat to give the full, creamy mouthfeel. Regardless of which milk/creamer alternative you use, you'll want to disguise the flavor with spices. Luckily, those spices include garlic. You can never go wrong with garlic.

• 3 pounds potatoes
• 1 cup soy creamer OR 1 cup soy milk + 2 tbsp light vegetable oil (or parve margarine)
• 10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh grated mixed peppercorns
• 1 tsp onion salt

Boil and drain the potatoes. It's entirely up to you whether or not to leave on the skins. Dump everything else in the pot you boiled your potatoes in and start mashing. Again, it's entirely up to you whether to stop while they're still a little lumpy or get out the hand mixer and blend them until smooth.

The stealth ingredient here is the onion salt. Somehow, the slightly acidic tang of it really covers any nutty soy flavor. If you can't get ahold of onion salt, try throwing the garlic, 1/2 cup of diced onion, and a tsp of oil into a blender until you have a nice, smooth paste. I'd add a couple extra cloves of garlic, too, since a few precious scraps will still be left in the blender. Add the paste to the pot of potatoes and blend as per the other directions.

Just as some people like their potatoes lumpy versus smooth or with bits of skin versus pure pulp, there are degrees of creamyness. If these are a little dry for your taste, try adding 1/4 cup creamer (or 1/4 cup milk + 1/2 tsp oil or 1 tsp parve margarine) until they reach your ideal texture.