Vanilla Spiced Sweet Potatoes

all that was left at the end of dinner

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hosted my very first Turkey Day this year, but not completely.  I did the turkey, the stuffing, the gravy, this sweet potato recipe, and a Bavarian Cream Apple Pie.  We had 14 people at our table (plus a card table), and all the guests brought the rest of the fixin's.  It was a feast of epic proportions!  This dish got very high marks from all the guests, and many said they'd rather have their sweet potatoes this way next year, instead of the traditional marshmallows on top way.  I have to agree.  I think I've found a new favourite.  
[Note: The inspiration for this recipe came from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com, but I tweaked it according to what I had on hand.  See the original recipe here.]  

Vanilla Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, cleaned and left a bit damp
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla *
2 tsp grated orange zest
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
salt/ pepper (to taste)
ground cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender to a fork tip, about 1 hour. (Or prick all over with fork or knife, and microwave for 5-8 minutes, turning at least once mid-way through, until soft.) Remove from oven (or microwave) and let sit until cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and discard the skin. Put the potatoes in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, or in a large bowl (if you want to use an immersion blender).
Meanwhile, pour the cream into a 2-quart pot, add the vanilla and orange zest, and set it over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove from heat. Pour the mixture over the potatoes in the processor (or bowl) and add the butter.
Puree the potato mixture until smooth. Season with salt and 4 grinds of pepper, or to taste. Sprinkle lightly with the "3 Holiday C's" -- Stir to distribute.  Keep covered and warm until ready to serve.

* Heidi's recipe calls for 1 whole vanilla bean, seeds scraped out, that you put into the cream, and then fish out before adding to the potatoes.  I couldn't find the whole beans, so I just used vanilla extract.

Serves four.