Date Night Dinners - Is This A Pasta Blog?
I know, we have been a little pasta crazy these past few weeks. I'm starting to think I should change the name of the blog to How Many Ways Can We Eat Pasta. But in all seriousness, I promise more variety will come shortly. If you have any requests or suggestions comment away.
Brown butter sweet potato sauce. It was different; it was new; and we had all the ingredients on hand. Besides browning the butter, the recipe looked pretty simple. I have always wanted try making brown butter, as many of the cookie recipes on my to-try list incorporate it.
Until now, I have been too afraid to attempt it because my most "chef-y" friend said it was very hard, and if it is hard for her, who can make anything taste good, then it would definitely be too hard for me. Little did I know, Brenden had been holding out on me. His brother taught him how to brown butter, and thus Brenden was tasked with brown butter duty. I hope he enjoyed his time with the butter, whisk, and skillet because it turned out beautifully and he is now stationed there until I check every brown butter cookie recipe off my list. It's a long list. Cookie layer here we come.
Back to the sauce. Once the brown butter was accomplished, it was smooth sailing. Making the brown butter was one of the first steps, and thus set the tone for the rest of the dish. With Brenden's successful first try at the butter, I knew we would at least have something edible. After all, the rest of the recipe was pretty much pureed sweet potato, milk, and cheese. It is hard to go wrong with that.
The sauce thickened fairly quickly and was smelling great. A dash of cayenne, salt and pepper to enhance the flavor profile. It added the perfect little kick to the nuttiness of the brown butter and sweetness of the sweet potato - just what the sauce needed to liven it up. We added our homemade whole wheat fettuccine, to our sauce and dove it.
The sauce thickened fairly quickly and was smelling great. A dash of cayenne, salt and pepper to enhance the flavor profile. It added the perfect little kick to the nuttiness of the brown butter and sweetness of the sweet potato - just what the sauce needed to liven it up. We added our homemade whole wheat fettuccine, to our sauce and dove it.
BROWN BUTTER SWEET POTATO PASTA SAUCE
recipe adapted from tablefortwoblog.com, Brown Butter Sweet Potato Alfredo
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1.5 cup water
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1 lb homemade pasta (or box, cooked as directed)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the sweet potato. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the dubbed sweet potato. Cook until the sweet potato is tender. Drain the water and place sweet potatoes in a food processor (you can use a blender or potato masher as well). Pulse until the potatoes are pureed and smooth.
Brown the butter. Place butter it in a small skillet on medium heat. Continually whisk the butter. After a few minutes it the bitter will begin to bubble and foam. Brown bits will then begin to appear. Once you see the butter is beginning to brown, remove from the heat and continue to whisk. Do not overheat or it will quickly burn.
Make the sauce. In a large pot over medium heat, whisk the brown butter and flour together for 30 seconds. Next, carefully whisk in the milk and turn the heat up to medium high. Continue to whisk, as the mixture thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, add the pureed sweet potato and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes, until it has thickened. If the mixture seems too thick, you can add a but more water (1 Tbsp at a time). Stir in the cheese, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the pasta. Stir in your prepared pasta until it is fully coated with the sauce.
Serve and enjoy. Garnish with extra cheese, or cooked sweet potato cubes as desired. Or just enjoy it as is. Can be reheated, keeps well in the refrigerator.
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