Maple Chicken & Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I absolutely love sweet potatoes. Like, I really like them. Whenever I have sweet potatoes around the house, I skip my Captain Crunch breakfast for a bowl of warm sweet potatoes. I'll then proceed to skip a sandwich during lunch in exchange for a bowl of sweet potatoes. Dinner will accompany sweet potatoes. For desert? Not ice cream... sweet potatoes! If I'm lucky I'll get a chance to steal a bite of sweet potatoes for snacks in between as well. This is why Michael doesn't allow me to have sweet potatoes around the house very often. 

This meal is the perfect combination of all the flavors that remind me of autumn, combined in one. Don't let the ingredients scare you off - I understand that maple cooked with green onions and glazed over chicken smothered in steak seasoning doesn't sound appetizing. Then combine that with mashed sweet potatoes filled with onions - definitely not something you'd find in a restaurant. But once your taste buds meet with the creamy potatoes and the sugary yet spicy chicken, you'll fall in love!

-Sarah

Maple-Glazed Chicken

ingredients

·   1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins

·   2 tsp. steak grilling seasoning blend, such as Montreal

·   2 Tbsp. butter

·   ¼ cup maple syrup

·   ½ cup sliced green onion (about 4)

directions

1.Prepare sweet potatoes

2.Meanwhile, lightly coat chicken with steak seasoning. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until no longer pink (170 degrees F), turning once halfway through cooking. Remove from skillet; cover and keep warm. Stir maple syrup into hot skillet; cook 2 minutes. Stir in green onions.

3.Divide chicken and potatoes among 4 plates. Drizzle with maple syrup mixture. Serves 4.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

ingredients

·         ½ cup unsalted butter or butter

·         2 pounds yellow onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (7 cups)

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         4 pounds sweet potatoes or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 10 cups)

·         ½ cup milk

·         1/3 cup dairy sour cream

·         Salt and ground black pepper

directions

1.To caramelize the onions, in a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of the butter. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Remove from the heat; set aside.

2.Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pot, covered, in lightly salted boiling water for 12 minutes or until tender; drain.

3.Add the remaining 1/4 cup butter to the hot pot and let melt. Add the potatoes to the pot and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the milk, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in caramelized onions, reserving a few onions for garnish. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with reserved onions. Makes 8 to 10 servings.