Brussels and Bacon Stir Fry and Curried Sweet Potatoes

Until tonight, I didn't realize what a cooking rut I've been in. I used to make up weird shit for dinner all the time, but as of late my inspiration has been waning.   Last week, I pulled off a version of Eat.Live.Run's Brussels Sprouts; this took less than 10 minutes, and I actually prefer their texture when cut into a kind of chiffonade.    How had I never thought to slice up brussels sprouts?  Shahab, whose childhood was robbed of a proper vegetal nemesis, didn't try them until he was like 25, and now brussels are his favorite vegetable.  But who has time to roast brussels sprouts for an hour after getting home? Because of the commitment necessary to make them edible, we don't eat them very often.  Enter this meal: a kind of douchey, but delicious, fusion version of sprouts and finally feel like I am out of my culinary rut.   

While Eat.Live.Run countered the bitterness of them with the sweetness of brown sugar and caramelized pecans, the three baked sweet potatoes in the fridge somehow inspired me to try a Southeast Asian version using turkey bacon and light coconut milk to add faux richness to the conspicuously healthy sprouts.  Overlooked as an Asian ingredient, sweet potatoes seem to be invented to be eaten with things like coconut, ginger, and curry rather than brown sugar and marshmallows.  So I decided to take a Thanksgiving staple and turn it Asian.  The caramelized bacon, garlic and sprouts set off the super luscious and rich potatoes, and the sesame adds a nice nutty flavor.  In all, it took less than a half hour, and that's partly because peeling baked sweet potatoes is tedious and sloppy.  I didn't actually measure the spices, but I estimated in the recipe below.    

Ignore the onion, and pretend like you see sesame and curry

Ingredients:

Brussels-Bacon Stir Fry

15-20 Brussels

3-4 cloves of garlic

6-8 slices of turkey bacon (we keep a pork free house)

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame seeds                                                                                                                

Coconut Curry Mashed Sweet Potatoes   

3 sweet potatoes
3/4 cup light coconut milk

2 tsp curry powder 

1 tsp salt  
                                                                                 

If you are starting from raw sweet potatoes, you should start by boiling or baking them.  Since Shahab baked up a ton of potatoes on Sunday, I got to skip this step.  

While the bacon is going, Slice the brussels into very thin slices, being careful not to go too close to the base, as it gets more bitter.  Don't worry if it stays in circles; as it sautes, it will break up.  Then, mince the garlic and set aside in a bowl. 

Now that I see the picture, maybe real bacon is better. 

Take the bacon off the heat, and when cool enough, slice up and put in the bowl with the sprouts.

Put the cooked sweet potato in a medium pot with the 3/4 cup coconut milk, curry powder and salt.  Heat and mash and you know. 

As the sweet potato heats, dump the garlic, then the sprouts and the bacon to the same saute pan in which you cooked the bacon.  Add smoked paprika and sesame seeds.  Saute for 5 minutes or so, then add as much soy sauce as you like, and saute for another 2-4 minutes, or until it is bright and tender.  

                 Top with another sprinkle of sesame seeds and sriracha.  This made 3 or 4 servings for us.