When testing this recipe, I found myself wishing I had some bacon to fry and add to the puree. The smoke of the bacon would add yet another layer to the sweet, salty, spicy concoction. This puree will be nice under any sort of richer meat: pork, duck or even rabbit. You could also pair it with kale, raw celery root or turnips. And if you don’t have a food processor, or don’t want to wash it later, smashing the potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon will work just fine. Just don’t be disappointed if there are some chunks.

• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes
• 2 T maple syrup
• ¼ C soy sauce
• 2 pinches chili flakes
• 2 T butter
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 orange, zested

1. Heat oven to 350F and prick sweet potatoes all over with a knife or fork.
2. Place the sweet potatoes directly on the rack and roast until very soft and yields to a pushing finger.
3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to be handled easily.
4. Pull the sweet potatoes apart, discarding the skin and transferring the flesh to a food processor.
5. Add the all the other ingredients and puree until smooth.
6. Taste and add more syrup or soy sauce until the flavor you like. Strive for balance of sweet and salty. If the mash tastes thin to you, add another pat of butter.