It’s getting a bit chilly outside – again.  After a few days of wonderfully warm weather, Fall is roaring its ugly head.  A precursor to the frigid winter months ahead.

Well…  I can’t change the weather, but i can turn on the oven, and that’s just what I did with tonight’s Bourbon-Glazed Sweet Potatoes.

Dinner started out with a  Niman Ranch ham steak.  I like Niman Ranch and their quality products and humane treatment of their animals.  A nice 1-inch thick slab of ham is definitely my idea of good eating.

Ham and sweet potatoes are a natural combination, and Paula Deen’s Bourbon-Glazed Sweets are great:

Sweet Potatoes

  • 1 strip orange peel
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp gincer
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 sweet potatoes

Bake potatoes until they are soft to the touch – about an hour at 400°.  Cool slightly and peel. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.  While the potatoes are baking, bring remaining ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened.  Slice the potatoes 1/2-inch thick into a small casserole dish.  Pour syrup over them and bake about 30 minutes.

And them we had to have a fun vegetable – and vegetable pancakes fitted that bill!

Vegetable Pancakes

  • 1/2  cup  flour
  • 1/2  tsp  baking powder
  • 1/2  tsp  salt
  • 1/4  tsp  pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4  cup  milk
  • 1  cup  carrots, grated
  • 1  cup  zucchini, grated
  • 1 sm onion, diced

Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, grate carrots, zucchini, and onions, and mix. Beat together the egg and milk, toss into the grated vegetables, and stir.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.

Heat small amount of oil over medium heat. Drop the batter by tablespoons into the pan. Cook about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden.

Everything came out great!

The vegetable patties were like veggie latke’s – same type of texture and consistency.  Quite good.  i can see many different variations on this theme!

And the potatoes were just plain good.  I used some of the sauce to douse over the ham.  Most excellent, indeed.