Sweet Potato Saviour

I feel so lucky. I’m staying home in DC for Thanksgiving. No traveling for me (Phew! How did I manage that?).

Judging from the amount of people I just saw at the P Street Whole Foods, I’m not the only one. Though not the grand chaos that it will be later on today, it was starting to get packed when I arrived at 12pm, having skipped out of my tumbleweed-strewn office to pick up the necessary ingredients for the side dish I’ve been charged to make – Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes.

Like me and the harried locals at Whole Foods, you may also be a serious procrastinator and just now panicking over what to make and how to get out of the store with the least amount of pain. So here’s my Thanksgiving gift to you, a guide to sweet potato saviourdom:

Enter the P Street Whole Foods. Grab a basket. Dead ahead are the bins of yams – don’t waste time arguing with yourself or the old lady next to you about whether yams are really sweet potatoes or vice versa – you’re on a mission!. Grab about five nicely sized ones. Dash two aisles over to “Latin Cuisine” and pick up two cans of Chipotle Peppers in Adobe Sauce – pay no attention to the man who just slammed into you with his oversized cart, there’s no time for sharp-tongued revenge! Now, do you have unsalted butter at home? Do you?? Can’t answer fast enough, hit the dairy shelf for a box. Now, restrain the almost overwhelming urge to pick up any of the special cheese or wine they have littering the aisles around the dairy (it’s hard, I know, so hard) and make a beeline for the checkout. Take the path of least resistance – usually this means the cosmetics aisle. Having successfully made it to checkout, wait as patiently as possible while other idiots in line waste your time. Relax, deep breaths. You did it, you’re almost out. Pay, depart, and congratulate yourself. All in all, five mintues and under $15.

Oh yeah, the recipe! Tomorrow – wash, peel, cube, steam, and mash the sweet potatoes. Dice chipotle peppers and add with adobe sauce to taste (wimpy to flamethrower – whatever you want). Mix. Serve and be proclaimed “The Sweet Potato Saviour.”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As one of the founding editors of We Love DC, Jenn’s passions are theater and cocktails. After two decades in the city, she’s loved every quirky, mundane, elegant, rude minute of her DC life. A proud advocate for DC’s talented drinks scene, she’s judged the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s ARTINI contest, the DC Rickey Month contest, the Jefferson Hotel’s Quill Cocktail competition, and is a founding member of LUPEC DC. A graduate of Catholic University’s drama program, she toured the country as a member of National Players, and has been both an actor and a costume designer before jumping the aisle to theater criticism. Writing for We Love DC restored her happiness after a life-threatening illness, and she’s grateful to you, dear readers. Send your suggestions to jenn (at) welovedc (dot) com and follow her on Twitter.

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