Lunchbox Liz

James Taylor sings about them, they share a genus with morning glories, they are yet another gift from the Americas to the culinary delight of the rest of world, and they make a great pie. Americans do themselves a disservice by only eating this most versatile tuber on Thanksgiving. They are mostly carbohydrate, but also include 4 grams of vegetable protein per 1 cup serving and they are high in vitamin A and high in vitamin C which are powerful antioxidants.

Today’s Lunch
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Curried Ginger Butter

4 sweet potatoes
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp curry powder (any variety will do)
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger or 1 tbsp powdered

Scrub the potatoes well. Prick each potato with a fork in a few places and place them in a baking dish with a 1/2 cup of water. Bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are soft to the touch. (It is easy to undercook the potatoes, as they can appear done if you only pierce the skin with a sharp knife. I like to sue a spoon to test them. Place the round side of the spoon against the skin and if you can leave a spoon shaped depression in the potato it is done!) Melt the butter in small saucepan on medium heat and add curry. Raise the heat to medium high and cook until the butter comes to a gentle boil stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and add ginger. Cook the butter for another minute and turn off the heat. Transfer the butter into a small glass dish or ceramic dish and allow to cool until it returns to a semi solid. Serve butter with warm potatoes. Serves 4.