Home Living Cooking For this year’s Thanksgiving spread: Hassle-free Hasselback sweet potatoes

For this year’s Thanksgiving spread: Hassle-free Hasselback sweet potatoes

Photos: Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig

The most wonderful day of the year is almost here. The day filled with stuffing and cranberry, wild Cousin Joe and kissing Aunt Betty, horrible sweaters and fancy ties, mounds of roasted turkey smothered in gravy — all the aromas, the faces… the pies. Sigh. I love Thanksgiving.

in the kitchenI have a thing for Thanksgiving Day, for my family it’s kind of a big deal. A day filled with 55-year-old traditions and 100 pounds of turkey (to feed 100 people of course) would make most people’s head spin, but for us it’s the norm. I have experienced Thanksgiving the same way for the past 28 years and I’d have to say I’m looking forward to the 29th.

Yes, having a big traditional Thanksgiving does have its drawbacks. Dare not change the stuffing recipe unless of course you’d like a large disgruntled crowd of family members asking what you did with the real stuffing they’ve been waiting 364 days for. But our Thanksgiving also has its perks, such as the buffet of all-you-can eat turkey, a large pot of gravy at the end of that buffet to smother your plate of Thanksgiving goodness in, the dessert buffet to follow (which of course is filled with every pie imaginable) and a whole lot more to be thankful for.

I get to skip out on the green bean casserole, there aren’t any family dogs around to guard the turkey from, and I save the twisted cranberry stuffing muffin recipes for home.

Being the host to a crowd of friends and family I’m sure can be overwhelming any day of the year but with the pressure to cook the perfect turkey everything else can feel like its never going to come together.

I have been testing out a few twists on holiday favorites and this recipe for sweet potatoes is not only effortless it’s super delicious. I even had sweet potato haters licking their fingers.

Coming together one day a year to remind each other of why we do what we do and how much we appreciate being together is really the true meaning of Thanksgiving. Whether or not your table is surrounded by just 2 or 20 I hope you have a very hassle-free, turkey-filled, thankful Thanksgiving.

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4

2015_1121_kitchen_hasselback_potatoes_3Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes, (they should fit in your hand)
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

You will also need:
2 wooden spoons with identical handles
Sharp knife
Pastry brush

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Use the handles of two wooden spoons as a guide for the depth of your cuts into the sweet potato.

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a sweet potato between the handles of the two wooden spoons on a cutting board. Using the spoons as guide, cut thin slices about 1/4 inch thick, being sure to only go 3/4 of the way through the sweet potato. Repeat with the rest of the sweet potatoes. Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet or in a baking dish.

• Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Using the pastry brush smother the potatoes with the butter mixture being sure to get in-between the slices and brushing the sides as well. Evenly distribute the mixture on all 4 potatoes until it is all used up.

• Bake for 50-60 minutes until the potato is tender inside and the outside is crispy. Serve immediately.

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baig kayleigh
Kayleigh Van Vliet Baig was born and raised in Riverhead, where she lives with her husband Tahir.

Kayleigh has been in the culinary industry for the last 12 years, working in kitchens on the East End. She also is a personal chef.

Look for In the Kitchen with Kayleigh every Saturday on RiverheadLOCAL.com.

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