Breaking the Rules

You know that rule about never adding cheese to a pasta dish with seafood? I respect it. I understand that seafood has a delicate flavor and Parmesan cheese is pungent and masks the tenderness of the dish and I do love a nice piece of halibut or perfectly sauteed calamari --but do I abide by this rule? Definitely not. I recently had my wisdom teeth pulled and as a result, I have not been able to properly open my mouth making eating a painful and frustrating event. But this past weekend, I indulged in a mound of linguine with clams. Did I accept the flurry of Parmesan? Yes I did. I finished every last linguine and clam on my plate (except the 1 clam that didn't open). My mouth was sore the rest of the night, it was totally worth it.

Now what does this have to do with sweet potatoes? I've heard the same rule being applied to sweet potatoes! I get it, the sweet potato is bursting with rich sweetness and flavor, why would you ever need to add cheese? Because like the linguine with clams, a great thing can always taste better! So I conducted a small taste test at home to find what cheese compliments the caramelized sweetness of our favorite tuber best: 4 cheeses and 1 bowl of roasted and mashed sweet potatoes (no salt, no butter)-which do you think was the winner? Here were my results:

Goat cheese: It wasn't my favorite, but I was pleased. It added a little tang to the sweet potato but perhaps needed and touch of salt to balance the flavors. It did, however, blend in nicely, giving the mash a beautiful, creamy color.

Parmesan: I was disappointed. I thought the saltiness of this cheese would perk up the sweet potato to a sweet n' salty mash, but the thin flakes of parm just didn't work as hard as they could've. Perhaps a blanket of Parmesan sauce would do the job.

Blue cheese: Hoo-aah! That did it. This super pungent cheese hits your tongue like little bursts of flavor when just sprinkled throughout the mash. The strong flavor prepares your palate for your next taste of sweetness making it a perfect balance.

Sharp cheddar: Mwa, mwa, mwa. The flavor AND the color get lost in the mash. Need I say more?

So the winner is, BLUE CHEESE. My ideal use, judging from my taste test, would be just a simple baked sweet potato sprinkled with crumbled blue cheese, but let's see what other wonderful dishes we can use this delightful duo in.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Wrapped in Prosciutto by Amanda from What We're Eating

6 small sweet potatoes, peeled (if using larger potatoes you will need more filling and prosciutto)1/8 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

3 fresh sage leaves, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

3-4 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto

kosher salt

canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. In large pot over high heat, place sweet potatoes. Fill with water 1-inch above potatoes; bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine cheese, herbs, garlic and pepper; with a fork, mash until well combined; set aside.

Remove sweet potatoes from water; set aside to cool, about 10 minutes. Then, slice potatoes in halves length-wise, keeping halves with their matching halves. With small spoon, scrape out a shallow path length-wise down middle of each half. Fill each potato with 1-2 teaspoons of cheese mixture, spreading evenly, do not over stuff. Press potato halves together to form whole potatoes.

Gently but tightly wrap each stuffed potato with a layer of prosciutto; place on sheet pan and drizzle with canola oil. Gently rotate each potato so all of prosciutto is brushed with oil. Place sheet pan with potatoes in preheated oven; cook 10 minutes, give potatoes a 1/4 turn and cook for another 15 minutes. Turn potatoes 1/4 turn, continue cooking for 15 minutes, then turn once more and finish cooking for 10 minutes -this will ensure that all the prosciutto crisps properly.

Sweet Potato-Blue Cheese Scones from Cupcake Muffin

Makes approximately 1 million scones (you might want to halve this)

1 large yellow onion, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

8 oz. can artichoke hearts in water, drained and cut in quarters

1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup unsalted butter (cold), cut into 1-inch cubes

2-1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

1/2 pound crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

In skillet with small amount of oil, saute onion until brown; set aside. Lightly steam sweet potatoes until cooked but still firm. In large bowl, combine onion, sweet potato and artichokes; set aside.

Into a separate bowl, sift flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Cut butter into dry ingredients until butter is about the size of peas. Gently fold in Asiago cheese and 1/2 of the blue cheese.

Add sage to sweet potato mixture; fold mixture into dry ingredients until the dough comes together. Add water or milk of necessary; the dough will be chunky and sticky.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Onto a greased baking sheet, scoop out portions of dough to the size of scones you want; flatten each scone slightly. With your thumb, make a small indentation on top of each scone; fill dents with crumbled blue cheese. Bake in oven until scones are light brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm or reheat leftovers in toaster.

Sweet Potato Galette from The Slow Cook (an entry in last year's bloggers' recipe contest)

Extra virgin olive oil

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

1 lb cooked greens, like mustard, kale or collard

Blue cheese of your choice

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat bottom of a cast-iron skillet with olive oil; place over medium heat. Cover bottom of skillet with a layer of shingled sweet potato rounds. Dot potatoes with cooked greens; apply another layer of shingled potatoes on top of greens; dot potatoes with your choice of blue cheese; apply another layer of potatoes. Repeat these steps until you've run out of sweet potato rounds. Press down firmly with a pot lid or skillet; season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in oven until potatoes are easily pierced, about 20 minutes; remove from oven and allow to cool. To serve, use a knife or spatula to cut around edges of the galette; invert onto a large plate or cutting board.

Do you have any sweet potato -blue cheese recipes you can share?