Honey Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Wilted Baby Spinach | 蜜糖牛油烤蕃薯菠菜苗沙律

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, families across North America are reuniting and busy putting their final touches on the menu for the most significant celebration of the year. Sweet potatoes, yams, and pumpkins take center-stage in family kitchens far and wide alongside the requisite roasted turkey. Everywhere seems to hum with joy and the anticipation that this meaningful holiday brings.

Even though Thanksgiving may not be celebrated in Hong Kong, this could hardly deter me from injecting a dose of fall festivity into my kitchen. With just a handful of ingredients and no more than a few simple steps, the following recipe - adapted from Food Network host Robert Irvine's original - will surely warm up your day and have you scrambling for seconds.

Perfect as a side for a magnificent Thanksgiving spread, and no less stellar as a filling, nutritious meal on its own, this flavorsome roasted sweet potato dish trumps an ordinary mash or green salad. What's more? With so few steps and so little to wash, this dish might just be your answer when you have too much on your plate preparing for the Great Turkey Dinner.

What you'll need...
2 medium to large sweet potatoes, cleaned (peeling optional), cut into 1.5-inch cubes
Drizzle of vegetable oil, to toss and coat
Half a red onion, or 3 shallots, sliced
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 tablespoon honey
Small knob of butter* (less than 1 tablespoon)
Handful of pecans

*Note: Using quality butter makes a world of difference since the butter is the ingredient that brings together the entire dish. Or, add some flair with Whipped Maple Cinnamon Butter (recipe), and substitute honey with pure maple syrup! 

Looking for a simple yet festive side dish for your next Thanksgiving Dinner? Give this warm salad a try!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes in oil to coat. Place on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.

2. Remove briefly from oven and toss in the onions and pecans and continue to roast until potatoes are tender, approximately another 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, have the honey, butter, and baby spinach handy.

3. Transfer sweet potatoes to the same large bowl. While piping hot, drizzle honey over the potatoes and add in the butter, mixing well. Gently toss in spinach. The heat from the potatoes will wilt the greens.

4. Serve warm and drown in the heavenly aroma of roasted onions and honeyed, melting butter! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

《蜜糖牛油烤蕃薯菠菜苗沙律》

材料：
蕃薯  2  隻（可去皮、切成約 1.5 寸小塊）
食用油  少量
洋蔥  半個  或  乾蔥頭  3  個（切絲）
菠菜苗  400 克
蜜糖  1  湯匙
牛油  20  克
胡桃  適量

做法：
1. 預熱焗爐至 180C。
2. 將蕃薯置於大碗中，加入少量油並略為攪拌，然後放於烤盤上，焗 15 分鐘。
3. 十五分鐘後，拌入洋蔥和胡桃，繼續焗至蕃薯和洋蔥熟透，約 15-20 分鐘。
4. 將焗好的蕃薯和洋蔥取出並置於大碗中。趁熱加入蜜糖和牛油，攪勻，然後再拌入菠菜苗。熱力會把菠菜變得軟身。完成！

Adapted from Robert Irvine's recipe on Food Network
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Cider Braised Pork Shoulder with Apples and Cranberries

Almost as if making up for the pot roast I never made last year, this pork roast warms every corner of my house with such a jolly holiday scent that you'd think Christmas is here once again.

Pork and apples are a classic pair that are always meant for each other. Featuring in this recipe - second of my winter series highlighting fresh British ingredients - are English Bramley apples, a unique variety ideal for cooking as it retains a stronger, tangier flavor and gives a pleasantly buttery texture.

This recipe uses apple cider as the braising liquid (reminds me of New York's farmers markets in the winter!), imbueing the pork with acidity that tenderizes, and sweetness that balances the savoriness of the meat. Add in tart cranberries and mulling spices along with several idle hours in the oven, and there you have a wonderfully succulent pork roast that not only smells but also tastes like the holidays.

As no prior brining is necessary, this dish is incredibly simple - as well as economical and foolproof. Most affordable cuts like pork shoulder would do as slow braising breaks down the tough fibers in the meat. So if you are looking to do something slightly different from roasting a whole turkey on your next holiday, consider trading the Big Bird in for some juicy, tender Porky Pig... and be sure to serve up some crusty artisan bread to sop up all the essence!

To prepare...

1 kg, or 2 lb. fresh pork shoulder

Olive oil

3 medium onions, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 cup unfiltered apple cider (I used spiced cider!)

2 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

Pinch of cloves

Pinch of whole peppercorns

For the sauce:
2 firm Bramley apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh cranberries (thawed if frozen)
3 tablespoons brown sugar (or to taste, optional)
A splash more of apple cider
2-3 strips of orange peel
Fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for garnishing

1. Preheat oven to 170C/325F. Season pork well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, oven-proof* heavy pot over moderately high heat, brown meat on all sides, turning as needed, about 8 minutes. Set pork aside.


2. Add onions to the same pot and sauté until softened and started to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, about 8 minutes more. Stir in cider.

*Now, if you are lucky enough to have a large oven, return pork to pot, cover pot with a tight-fitting lid, and place into the pre-heated oven.


3. Otherwise, place pork into a large casserole, pour in the cider and onions, and cover tightly with foil, pressing down firmly along the rim. Place in the oven to braise until very tender, about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Turn pork over once halfway through the time of cooking, adding in the cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns. 

To make the sauce...
4. When meat is nearly done in the oven, heat butter over medium heat, cook apple slices until soft and lightly golden. Remove from heat until pork is ready.

5. Remove bay leaf and transfer pork to a plate. Skim fat off the juices, then pour into the apples. Add remaining cider, 3/4 cup of the cranberries, thyme, and the orange peel. Bring to a boil until the cranberries pop and the mixture is reduced and thickened. Taste sauce, adding brown sugar if too tart. Season with more spices as you please.

6. Return pork and add the remaining cranberries to the sauce, stirring to cover meat in sauce to briefly reheat. Transfer to a serving dish or casserole and garnish with fresh thyme. Serve with a side of mash and crusty artisan bread! Bon appétit!

Recommended side: Swede and Parsnip Bake with Buttery Crumbs

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The Thanksgiving Sandwich, with Caramelized Onions

I have many reasons to be grateful this year. Friendships come and go; some fade over time, some bud and grow unexpectedly, and some are made to last. I was invited to two hearty thanksgiving dinners this year, one on a dear colleague's handsome terrace near downtown Hong Kong, another on Thanksgiving Day in suburban Piedmont, California, at the charming family home of a dear friend whom I have known since college. 

Thanksgiving this year is particularly memorable, not only because I have finally had my first official turkey dinner, but also because of the friendships that it strengthens and creates, the love that goes into preparing this age-old tradition, and the warmth that travels around the table. Need I mention the food - the turkey, the scrumptious sides, the stuffing, the homemade cranberry sauce, the pies (my college friend Kelley prepared not one, but five pies - namely pecan, pumpkin, and apple pie - It was like a salacious fantasy come true). Having the chance to work alongside Kelley's mother - a remarkably loving, gentle, and soft-spoken woman - made the night all the more special.

Kelley and her mother, Miye, made sure no one walked out hungry

Of course, neither nights did I leave hungry nor empty-handed. Both my colleague Ava and Kelley's mother spoiled their guests with an inexhaustible array of food and leftovers. I greedily lugged home turkey, stuffing and all the works, which I happily devoured over the course of several days. For variety's sake, I changed up the presentation a bit, and one obvious way to go is the almighty Thanksgiving sandwich. 

To up the ante, I topped the fixings with caramelized onions - the tender, candy-sweet-and-savory topping that complements beautifully the savoriness of turkey stuffing and plays off the tart sweetness of cranberry sauce. An already luscious sandwich just sky-rocketed to the next level.

To prepare...

Several slices of hearty farmer's bread, grilled or toasted

Turkey meat
Stuffing

Salad greens

Cranberry sauce

Caramelized onions

For the caramelized onions...
2 onions (yellow, brown, or red), sliced
1 tablespoon butter, extra-virgin olive oil, or a mix

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Brown sugar (optional)

Water

Salt

Pile on the icing on the cake!

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a wide, thick-bottomed pan on medium high heat. Add onions to pan and cook very slowly on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent onions from sticking and burning. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds.

2. When onions are softened and tinged golden, add sugar and cook a further 10 minutes. If necessary, add a little water to prevent onions from drying out or sticking. When onions have reached a desired shade of brown, deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar and salt onions to taste.

3. Stack your sandwich and top with cranberry sauce and loads of caramelized onions. Enjoy the taste of Thanksgiving!

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