Sweet Potato Tamales Recipes

CHILE-SPICED SWEET POTATO TAMALES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Set sweet potato halves, cut side up, in a baking dish, and rub cut sides equally with butter mixture. Bake in a 350° oven until soft when pressed, about 1 hour.
• Scoop flesh from sweet potatoes (discard skins) into a bowl; mash with a fork until smooth.
• In a 1- to 2-quart pan over low heat, melt lard. Pour in chicken broth and stir until warm. Add broth mixture to sweet potatoes; mix well. Gradually add masa flour, stirring until well blended. Stir in baking powder and chipotles and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Tear 3 or 4 corn husks into long, thin strips. Lay a whole husk flat on a work surface, smooth side down, with one long edge closest to you. Spoon a scant 1/3 cup filling lengthwise down center of husk. Fold bottom edge over filling and roll up tamale. Tie each end with a thin strip of husk. Repeat until all filling is used.
• In an 8- to 10-quart pan, position a rack at least 1 inch above 1 inch of water; bring to a boil over high heat. Set tamales on rack, lower heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and steam until filling is firm, about 1 hour, adding water to pan as needed to maintain 1-inch depth. Remove tamales and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
• Nutritional analysis per tamale.
• NOTES: Dried corn husks are available in some well-stocked supermarkets and in Mexican markets. Before using, separate husks and discard silks; soak husks in hot water until pliable, about 20 minutes. You will need about 15 large, well-shaped husks for the tamales and 3 to 4 to tear into strips for tying, but we suggest soaking a few extra in case some tear in the process. You can make and steam the tamales up to a day ahead; cover and chill. Reheat in steamer 15 to 20 minutes.

SWEETPOTATO TAMALES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• Bake sweetpotatoes for 1 to 1½ hours, (until tender) Remove potatoes from oven and cool. When sweetpotatoes are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins.
• While potatoes are cooking, rinse the cornhusks under cold water and place in a large bowl making sure they are covered with water.
• Place a couple of plates on top of the husks to keep them submerged.
• Let husks sit in water for 1 hour or until soft.
• Place butter in a large, heavy bowl and beat for 2 minutes at medium-high speed.
• Add, sugar and mix for 2 minutes at medium-low speed until the mixture is very creamy and light yellow.
• Add the roasted sweetpotato and mix it until fully incorporated and the mixture is fluffy. Add corn flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt and mix at low speed.
• While the mixture is running, slowly add milk.
• Blend until ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Drain the cornhusks and give the husk an extra shaking to dispel any excess water.
• Lay one husk flat in your hand or on a work surface.
• Scoop about a 1/4 cup of the masa mixture into the center of the husk. If the husks are too small or broken, put 2 husks together, overlapping them.
• Using the back of a spoon, spread the masa on the husk in a thin layer to the top part of the husk and down.
• Place 3 pecans, 3 raisins and 1½ tablespoons diced pineapple in the center of the masa.
• Fold in the sides of the husk so that dough covers the filling. Fold up the narrow bottom of the toward the back.
• Set the prepared tamales on a tray and cover with a damp cloth while you assemble the rest.
• Fill a large pot with enough hot water to reach just underneath but not touching a steamer basket. Place three coins in the water to. The coins will be your water measuring devices while you are cooking. When they stop jingling, the water is getting dangerously low, and more water must be added
• Cover the bottom of the steamer basket with some of the leftover cornhusks. Arrange the tamales vertically, standing them on their bottom fold and letting them rest against one another. Cover the tamales with more leftover husks or a kitchen towel.
• Cover the pot with lid and cook over medium heat until the tamales slide out of the wrappers, about 1 to 1½ hours.
• Try never to let water in the steamer go off the boil once you have started cooking.

SWEET POTATO TAMALE

Steps:

• If using dried corn husks: About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under running water. Soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.
• Put the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a large mixing bowl, cut in the butter and shortening. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. The mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.
• Remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. Drain and pat dry. Tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying. Lay 2 husks (or about a 5 inch piece of parchment) flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. Place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. Bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (If the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no problem.) Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk (or string), pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. Trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie.
• Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. To Serve: slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to expose the masa.