Really, I’m not going to turn this into a cooking blog, but I tried another recipe tonight that makes one of the best side dishes with a grilled steak that I’ve ever had. This is from Alton Brown and his show, ‘Good Eats.’ You can find the canned chipotles in adobo at most Hispanic markets, and perhaps at other big stores. You’ll probably want to find another use for those, since you’ll use exactly one chipotle (which is a smoked jalapeno) and a little bit of the adobo. You’ll have plenty of both left over, even when you buy the smallest can of the stuff.

The chipotle and adobo add a little bit of heat but it is NOT overwhelming, particularly if you separate out the seeds. The flavor they add most is a little smoke flavor that, along with the heat, is a wonderful counterbalance to the sweet potato.

Note that sweet potato is far more nutritious than a regular potato — if your only exposure to sweet potatoes is some nasty steamed casserole at Thanksgiving, I strongly suggest you try roasting them or using this recipe. Also note that you need to steam, not boil, these sweet potatoes. They turn into paste if you boil them.

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 whole canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from can of peppers
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put cubed potatoes into steamer basket and place steamer into a large pot of simmering water that is no closer than 2 inches from the bottom of basket. Allow to steam for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Add butter to potatoes and mash with potato masher. Add peppers, sauce, and salt and continue mashing to combine. Serve immediately.