It seemed an unlikely goal. I wanted a single solution for two problems — how to keep kids entertained while preparing Thanksgiving dinner and how to serve sweet potatoes in a fresh, creative way.
Turned out to be easier than I thought, so long as I was willing to pitch in to get the dish rolling. And it turned out that was the easy part.
Truth is, no matter how classic or traditional they may be, sweet potatoes can be a bit of a challenge to serve at Thanksgiving. You don’t want to mash them (that encroaches on the territory of regular potatoes). You don’t want to roast them (many of us do that to the butternut squash). You can casserole them with marshmallows, but that can be a pretty polarizing dish.
Unrelated to all that, kids can be a real challenge to keep occupied at Thanksgiving. They want to be in the way or run crazy or get out of their fancy clothing or help out or — most likely — all of the above all at once.
So solve both problems with this easy sweet potato tart recipe. It’s a delicious roasted dish that brings out the natural sweet and savory sides of sweet potatoes, but won’t be confused with the squash. It also has a hint of sweetness, which should keep the marshmallow fan club pleased. And it’s so foolproof to assemble, the kids can be put in charge of it.
All you need to do is prep the potatoes (a food processor will do this in seconds) and set out the ingredients and pan for the kids. The beauty of this recipe is they really can’t mess it up. If they use up all of the cheese in the first few layers of the tart, who cares? Give them more cheese. The dish will be even more delicious.
SWEET POTATO TART WITH PARMESAN AND MAPLE SYRUP
Start to finish: 1 hour (20 minutes active)
Makes 12 servings
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled
10 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper
Maple syrup, to serve
Nutrition information per serving: 160 calories; 50 calories from fat (31 percent of total calories); 6 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 9 g protein; 240 mg sodium.
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