Sweet Taters and Ham

For a not so traditional Easter dinner, I will be trying some of these tasty taters:

Sweet Potatoes with Ginger, Pecans, and Jalepeno gravy

Ressurect traditional sweet potatoes with some fire and crunch.

4 pounds sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
4 jalapeños, stemmed and cut into 1/8-inch-thick rings
1 cup chopped pecans
2 to 4 tablespoons brown sugar


Roast sweet potatoes on rack in 325-degree oven until soft (about 60 minutes, depending on size). Place pan in bottom of oven to catch drippings. Allow to cool to room temperature.


In saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour to form a smooth blond roux. Remove pan fromheat. Add milk to roux in small portions, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps. When all milk is added, return pan to heat. Stirring continuously, heat mixture until it is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and ginger. Keep warm.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Peel cooked sweet potatoes and slice into ½-inch rounds. Lay rounds like shingles over bottom of 9- by 13-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle jalapeño rings and chopped pecans over sweet potatoes, and pour milk gravy over them. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbling.

Allow to cool 15 minutes. Serves 8 to 10

Add a brown sugar-glazed spiral cut ham, some black-eyed peas, fresh asparagus, and steamed cauliflower with hollandaise sauce.

What's on your Easter dinner plate?