Change Of Pace

I'm half Irish, so it goes without saying that I love potatoes. Any kind of potatoes. Fixed any way. If it's a potato, bring it on.

But every now and then even I get a little tired of potatoes to round out my dinner plate. When that happens, an infrequent occasion to be sure, I either serve another green veggie or go looking for an alternative starch. Rice is nice, beans are great, but in the winter for some reason, sweet potatoes rule.

I don't make a big fuss over them - no mixing with sugar or topping with marshmallows - I just bake them in their skins, slice them open and add salt and butter. The color perks up the dull palette of winter foods and the naturally sweet taste shines as brightly as the hue. I even eat the skin - my mother always told me that was the part with all the vitamins in it but I don't eat it for health; I eat it because it tastes so good.

Next time you have the winter blahs pick up some of these humble beauties and chase the blues with all that bright orange. It makes a good change of pace.