Ruth's Chris' Sweet Potato Casserole

I am hosting Thanksgiving this year, and this is definitely on the menu!  If you don't make any other side, make this one.  Trust me.  Turkey?  Ham?  What?  Who cares! :)

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is one of our favorites.  We always seem to go here for a birthday, anniversary, or really whenever we are in the mood for a great steak.  I would highly recommend checking it out.  Can't beat the sizzling plate with all that butter.  Not only are the steaks fantastic, but the sides are killer as well.  This sweet potato casserole is our favorite by far.  I've given up on my usual potato Au gratin when I'm at a Ruth's Chris.  Even if you don't like sweet potatoes, you may just fall in love.  This is the restaurants most popular side.  People even order it for dessert with a scoop of ice cream.

Give me a chopped salad, a great steak, and a ridiculous potato... I am a happy girl!

The recipe comes from Ruth's Chris Chef, Pat Gallagher.  Thank you, Sir!

An important tip~
Please don't use canned sweet potatoes, it's not hard to boil them.  Starting with cold water, bring 3~4 large potatoes to boil.  Cook for about 30~35 minutes or until tender enough to be able to mash.  Do not over cook, as they will be cooking again in the casserole.  Let them cool for about 30 minutes before handling.  Peel the skin off and mash.

Crust~
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

Sweet Potato Mixture~
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup  (1 stick) butter, melted

Crust~
Combine brown sugar, flour, pecans, and butter in mixing bowl.  Set aside.

Sweet Potato Mixture~
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a medium~size casserole dish with non~stick spray.  Or use a couple smaller dishes.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed.  Beat thoroughly with a hard mixer about 4 minutes, to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture.

Pour mixture into the baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes.  The brown sugar and pecan crust should be slightly browned and crunchy.  Allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.  The crust will harden a little more.

Sweet Potato & Bacon on Endive Spears

I love appetizers! I would take an appetizer over dessert any day. I like having quick and easy things to make in case I have last minute company, or I just want a snack. Another bonus with this recipe...my kids love sweet potatoes! Some people, including my kids, may not love the bitterness of the endive. Make it with the hearts of romaine lettuce or whatever you would like to try. This recipe came from Fine Cooking magazine.

3 slices bacon, thinly cut crosswise
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into a 1/4 inch dice
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons fresh chives, thinly sliced
2 medium heads Belgian endive
1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

Saute bacon over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until it has rendered some of it's fat. Add the sweet potato and about 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the sweet potato is tender and the bacon starts to crisp, about 8 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the chives and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Let cool for a couple of minutes.

Prepare the endive~ slice 1/2 inch off the bottom of the endive heads so the outer leaves break free. Cut another 1/2 inch off the bottom to let more leaves free. Repeat until all the larger leaves are free. If you would like them to be the same length, line up the leaves and cut the bottoms to even them out. Wash and dry the leaves.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture near the base of the leaves. Top each with a dollop of the creme fraiche and then sprinkle with the remaining chives. Serve immediately or let sit for up to 20 minutes before serving.

Potato~Sausage Toscana Soup

One thing I like at Olive Garden is their Toscana soup. So, whenever my husband wants to go~ I'm game. I have a recipe from a guy who was trying to copy restaurant dishes. Unfortunately, the recipe was missing some key ingredients. I played around with it and this is what I came up with. Let me know if you agree...it's pretty good! It's also really simple and quick. This recipe serves about 4 as an appetizer. If you are having company I would double it.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock or broth
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large russet potato
2 cups chopped kale
3 slices bacon or pancetta
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, saute for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and cream. Slice the unpeeled potato into 1/4 inch slices, then half the slices and add them to the soup. Add the kale.
While the soup is coming to a simmer, saute the bacon and sausage in another pan. When it is cooked, drain and add it to the soup.
Add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Let the soup simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Potato Salad

This is the potato salad I grew up with. I'm not a mayo, or egg yolk fan...but this is one of the few things I will eat with those ingredients. The quantities are estimates, so adjust to your liking. I make it from memory every time. I tried my best to come up with measurements. It's great this time of year.

About 12 russet potatoes

About 12 eggs, hard boiled. I actually toss about half the yolks when I make it. If you like eggs, leave them in. :)

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced~ you could use whatever onion you like, I like the color of the red.

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1 cup celery, finely diced~ I like to use the heart of the celery, definitely with the tops on. They add so much flavor.

1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

About 1 1/3 cups good quality mayonnaise

About 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1~2 tablespoons yellow prepared mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

About 2 teaspoons caraway seeds~ I think this makes the salad.

Celery salt to taste

Boil the whole potatoes until tender, take them out of the water to cool. Hard boil the eggs and set aside to cool. When the potatoes and eggs have cooled, peel them and cut into bite size chunks. Add the red onion, red pepper, green pepper, celery, and parsley. Mix together carefully. For the rest of the ingredients, I would add a little at a time until it tastes right to you. Mixing carefully so the potatoes don't fall apart too much. Keep refrigerated.