Spice up your plate with Sweet Potato Hash

The House of Curls is stuck...stuck in a rut...a dinner time side rut, that is. We continuously find ourselves eating steamed broccoli, green peas, or potatoes and we have had enough! So, we have recently been trying out new side recipes and have been gobbling up our new finds.

Both of these hash recipes come from Southern Living. Every Christmas my Mom gives me a subscription to this magazine and I usually find at least one new recipe each month that we really enjoy.

This first one is a great "twist" on roasted sweet potatoes. I made a few slight adjustments for our family's preference. I'm sure this was published in a fall edition, but we had it two nights ago and it got lots of raves from the girlies, Daddy and our fun guest, Mr. Carson.

Savory Sweet Potato Hash
4 bacon slices
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 medium sweet potatoes, washed and peeled
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored & cubed
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground allspice (similar to nutmeg)
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 400. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes.



Saute the bacon in a nonstick skillet for 4 minutes, or until brown. Add the onion and saute 4 minutes.



Stir in the sweet potatoes and saute 6 minutes. Stir in apples, broth, thyme, and allspice and saute 5 minutes. Remove bacon from saute pan and cut into crumbles.



Spoon bacon into the sweet potato mix and pour into a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil (to prevent a messy pan). Roast for 40 minutes.



Sprinkle with the pecans and parsley. (I forgot to do this last night & it was still delicious!) Serve with chicken or pork and a spinach salad.


Asparagus - New Potato Hash

1 lb small red potatoes - about 6
1 lb fresh asparagus - I used 1 1/2 lbs
2 shallots, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme - I had dried so that's what I used
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup crumbled farmer's cheese - white cheese

Cover potatoes with salted water and bring to a boil in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook 15-20 minutes or just until tender; drain well. Cool and cut into quarters.

Snap off and discard tough ends of the asparagus. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Steam for 15 minutes.

Saute shallots in hot oil in a large non-stick skillet for 2 minutes. Add asparagus, thyme, salt, pepper and lemon juice; saute 4 minutes. Add potatoes and saute 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and sprinkle with cheese.

**If you prefer asparagus to be crisper, then omit the steaming process. In our house, we like it a little more tender so that's why I added in the steaming of the asparagus. As for the cheese, use goat cheese or any type of white cheese, if you can't find farmer's cheese.

So, if you too are tired of eating plain 'ol steamed asparagus or green beans, then please, spare your family and try one of these great sides on your dinner plates this week! Your family will thank you!

And our favorite sweet ending to these yummy sides....



Check out the calories in these goodies! I'm so glad they are only around for just a few short weeks. I'll definitely be hitting up the gym tomorrow!!