A different kind of potato bar

Alessa updating again today. I realized I promised a Quinoa stuffed pepper recipe a few weeks back, but let's say that I forgot what I put in them and call it even, k?

Instead I am posting a recipe that I just threw together last night: Turkey Chili and baked sweet potatoes.

We bought a couple of sweet potatoes last week and needed to use them before they went soft. So we decided last night would be a good night to bake them. Now I don't know about you guys, but I prefer my sweet potatoes (or yams, depending on your geographic preference) savory as opposed to super sweet. I'd rather put salt, pepper and butter on than nasty old marshmallows. So I was trying to figure out what we could serve with the sweet potatoes as a complimentary dish and was reminded of the leftover roast turkey breast we had in the freezer (yeah we roasted a turkey breast a couple of weeks ago, nothing special)

Hmm, I thought, turkey and sweet potatoes sounds fine. But what to do with the turkey? We didn't really have anything to make a gravy with and no green veggies to have on the side. Well heck, why not make a quick chili from the turkey? Even better, why not just sub the sweet potato for a baked potato and put the chili right on TOP OF THE SWEET POTATO!Thus Tuesday night's dinner was born!

The chili turned out with a good "deep" heat, the kind that hits the back of your throat instead of the tip of your tongue and the sweet potato served to calm that down just right. To top it all off I had an Applewood and Walnut Smoked Cheddar from Beehive Cheese that we shredded over the whole mess. Delicious!

FYI: Beehive Cheese is a local Utah cheese company that makes the most amazing cheeses you have ever heard of. They have won many national and international awards. They even make a cheddar exclusively for Harmon's called Seahive Cheddar, it's rubbed with honey and sea salt *DROOL* The Barely Buzzed is a lavender and espresso rubbed cheddar, simply divine!

Start the Sweet potatoes first. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Wash the Sweet potatoes. You may want to put them on a pan or over foil, sometimes they ooze when they are baked. When the oven is ready place the potatoes inside and set your timer for 45 minutes. Check them after that, but larger tubers may require an hour or more. While these are baking prepare the chili.

Alessa's Super Easy Turkey Chili

2 tsp oil (canola, veggie, whatever you like. I used Jalapeno Olive oil)

1 lb cooked turkey breast (or ground turkey works)

2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp chopped garlic from a jar

1 bay leaf

15 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1/3 c sliced jarred Jalapenos (or a small can of green chiles for less heat)

5 oz can of tomato paste

1 c water (optional. Leave out for a thicker chili)

15 oz can Great Northern or other white beans, drained

2 tsp Mexican Style Chili Powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tsp salt

1 to 2 Tbsp dried minced onion (whatever you like, I accidentally added a bit too much for my tastes)

In a heavy pan heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic. Chop the turkey into bite size pieces and add to the pan when the garlic has started to pop. Add the bay leaf. The next step is optional. I do not like canned tomatoes much so i insist that they be blended or diced very finely. While the turkey is browning put the tomatoes (not drained), jalapenos and tomato paste in the blender, blend until smooth, or just barely chunky.

Add the tomato puree to the pan along with all the beans, spices and onion. If you decide to use fresh onion, brown that with the garlic instead. Stir together and let simmer over low heat until the potatoes are done.

When the sweet potatoes are done, skin and mash into a bowl (wait until they are cool enough to handle!)

Pour 1 cup of the Turkey Chili over the mash and top with sour cream, grated cheese or whatever your traditional chili topping is. Enjoy while hot, perhaps with a nice beer or a cup of milk to cool off your mouth if needed.

 Shhh, I know, I recycled an image from our tri-color chili post. Didn't have my camera out last night :p

This really turned out waaaaay better than I expected, as strange as this combination might sound to you. The sweet potato was the perfect compliment for the acidic tomato and all the spice. The smoked cheddar on top was really the kicker though. It was the perfect salty/smoky/cheesy/yummy companion for this dish. Karin figures the chili was about 4 WW points and the sweet potato was 1 (they were small), so it's a nice low point dinner made with filling foods to finish off your day.