Orange Glazed Sweet Potatoes

This is a recipe from my past. My Aunt Juanita gave this recipe to my Mom between 40-50 years ago. Losing my handwritten recipes was heartbreaking but I knew I had put the recipe in a school or church cookbook. My dear Aunt didn’t remember the recipe. I sure remembered it. You have two options, use sweet potatoes or yam patties. I used yam patties because that’s what my Mom always used. This old vintage recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients for Glaze:

2 big navel oranges, zest only

2 cups orange juice, I used pulp free

1/3 cup white granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons corn starch

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook until thickened.

You may use raw sweet potatoes or frozen patties (if you buy or use frozen patties, thaw them before using in this recipe). It’s easy to find the patties at your grocery store during the holiday season. They freeze well too if you want to make this recipe for Easter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For raw sweet potatoes, cook in boiling water for 20 minutes or until tender. Cool, peel and slice. Place sliced in a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the glaze over the slices and bake for 30 minutes.

For prepared patties, place patties in baking dish. Pour the glaze over the patties, bake for 30 minutes.

Sweet Potato Soufflé

If you love sweet potatoes, you will love my recipe for Sweet Potato Soufflé. This can be made 2 days before you cook it. If you make it ahead, leave on countertop for 20 minutes before baking.

3 cups of mashed (drained if using can) sweet potatoes. (Bruce’s Cut Sweet Potatoes, one 40 once can, is recommended if using canned)
1 cup sugar (if canned sweet potatoes are used, reduce sugar by 1/2)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour into an 8 x 8 *baking dish that you have sprayed with Pam.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix and crumble on top of potatoes. Bake for 35 minutes.

*Double this recipe to make 9 x 13, triple will make 9 x 15.

This dish is fabulous leftover. I have made it both ways with canned and baked sweet potatoes. You CANNOT tell the difference. I have made this recipe for decades for my family. One of their favorites at Thanksgiving.

***Tip: This dish can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated. Take it out of the refrigerator 20 minutes before you need to bake it. This can be a big time saver when trying to prepare a holiday meal.

Country Store Hash Browns

Recently I was asked if I had a recipe for hash browns like that good old country restaurant where you like to rock on the front porch, eat and shop after. This recipe is as close as I can get. Crunchy brown bottom, creamy inside and lightly browned on top. The flavor is almost identical. Great with breakfast or a meal. Please enjoy!

Ingredients:
30 ounces of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (use package kind*)
1/2 cup beef stock, not broth
1 small about 1/4 cup Vidalia or sweet onion grated
1 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 pan with Pam. In a large skillet, add oil and combine hash browns and cheese. Stir over medium high heat until cheese has melted and hash browns are no longer frozen. The potatoes will still be white at this point.

While potatoes are cooking, in a microwave safe measuring cup, add butter, milk, stock and onion. Microwave about a minute or so until butter has melted. Remove from microwave and stir in salt and pepper.

Once hash browns are no longer frozen and cheese has melted, transfer hash browns in prepared 13 x 9 pan. Pour milk mixture over hash browns and stir to combine. Press with spatula to flatten out the hash browns. Don’t be concerned if this seems like it’s too much liquid. It will be absorbed by the potatoes.

Bake for 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. *I used package grated cheese because if I had grated it off the block, it would have been very greasy. I even blotted a little excess grease from the top of this casserole. Let me know what you think!

Peggy’s Potato Salad

This is the potato salad I grew up on. There are no hard boiled eggs or pickles in this salad. It is more or a savory potato salad with a zip to it. I cut this recipe down some. I am not feeding a crowd. It can be doubled easily. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds of potatoes
1 cup of celery, chopped
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1/4 cup Wishbone Deluxe French Dressing
I tsp salt, or more to taste
1 tsp pepper or more to taste
1 Tbsp of celery seed, or more to taste
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip, whatever you like
1/2 cup yellow mustard
Green onions for garnish, optional
McCormick’s Salad Supreme for garnish

In a large pot, bring potatoes to a boil with skins on in salted water. Cook until tender. Remove from water and let cool until you can handle them. They should still be a little warm. Cut potatoes into chunks, not too small. Toss in French dressing. This should just be enough to lightly coat your potatoes. This is not your potato salad dressing! This French dressing takes the starchy taste away.

Add salt and pepper. Add celery seed. Add onion and celery. Taste the salad to see if you need to add more seasoning. Everyone’s taste buds are different.

In a separate bowl, mix together mayonnaise and mustard. Add this to your potato salad and gently mix to combine. Refrigerate and garnish before serving.