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Disclosure: This post was created in partnership with ALDI. As one of my favorite places to shop, I was thrilled to develop this original recipe for sweet and savory sweet potato bites using the wide variety of affordable options available at ALDI for a quick and simple Friendsgiving get together.
Chances are you’ll be traveling all over to meet up with family for Thanksgiving, so why not put together a simple “Friendsgiving” to celebrate with FRAMILY (aka chosen family) right before or right after the actual holiday?
In an effort to save money and focus on friends, here are two simple (& healthy!) ideas to help you embrace my favorite flavors of the season all in one bite. (I like to think of these as Thanksgiving Sushi ?)
Savory Sweet Potato Bites
(Yields about 1 dozen bites)
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato (small to medium)
1 russet potato (small to medium), peeled
1 yellow onion, cut in half and sliced thin
1 T oil (preferably coconut or avocado)
1 T salted butter
Salt & pepper
Bacon bits (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. Scrub & rinse both potatoes, fully peeling the russet potato, but only peeling the narrow parts of the sweet potato.
3. Chop the peeled part of the sweet potato off, and then dice along with the russet potato
4. In a deep sauce pan, warm the oil over medium heat
5. While the oil is heating, slice the unpeeled sweet potato into about 1/4” slices
6. Place the sweet potato slices into the hot oil, allowing them to brown evenly, about 5 minutes each side.
7. Immediately remove the sweet potato slices and reserve for later. Place the thinly sliced onion into the same pan and allow to caramelize and cook down over low-medium heat (may take as long as 30 minutes, so feel free to do this step in advance)
8. In a separate saucepan, bring water to a boil and place both types of diced potatoes in the salted, boiling water until tender (about 15 minutes)
9. Once potatoes are done, hand mash with the butter, salt & pepper to taste.
10. To assemble the bites, lay the sweet potato slices on a baking sheet, then top with about a tablespoon of the mashed potatoes (can use a piping bag to make it prettier if desired) and then top the potatoes with a small spoonful of the caramelized onions.
11. To cook, place in the oven (or under the broiler) for about 5 minutes to heat through and brown the tops.
12. Serve immediately and enjoy in one bite. If not serving to vegetarians, feel free to top with bacon bits for an extra crunch!
“Sweet” Sweet Potato Bites
(All your favorite flavors of sweet potato casserole in one bite!)
* These also make 12 bites and you’ll follow the same steps for prepping the sweet potato as you did in the first recipe. I like coconut or avocado oil because they are relatively flavorless and work well with both sweet and savory bites.
Ingredients:
1 sweet potato (small to medium)
6 regular marshmallow (or 12 mini marshmallows)
1 T oil (preferably coconut or avocado)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 T unsalted butter
1 T brown sugar
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. Scrub & rinse the sweet potato, chopping off any narrow parts (can use for the savory bites)
3. In a deep saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat
4. While the oil is heating, slice the unpeeled sweet potato into about 1/4” slices
5. Place the sweet potato slices into the hot oil, allowing them to brown evenly, about 5 minutes each side.
6. Meanwhile, place the butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, toss the chopped pecans into the mixture.
7. Once the sweet potatoes are done, remove the slices and place onto a baking sheet.
8. Top with 1/2 of a regular sized marshmallow or 2 mini marshmallows and place in oven for a few minutes, just enough to slightly melt and brown the marshmallows.
9. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and top with a small spoonful of the candied pecan mixture. Feel free to put back under the broiler for a minute or simply start snacking!
Both of these are best served right out of the oven and I guarantee they won’t sit on the plate very long.
It’s everything you love about Thanksgiving side dishes in one bite!
I developed the recipes above after being inspired by ALDI’s “Friendsgiving” movement. Friendsgiving is a time when friends can connect and share a meal. It is a time to keep the traditions you love, toss the ones you don’t and try something new.
To help bring more food to more people this holiday, ALDI is teaming up with Venmo and Feeding America® to encourage people to add a new tradition of giving to their Friendsgiving celebrations
If you haven’t heard of it yet, Venmo is a popular mobile app that makes it easy for friends to exchange money. Every time a custom-designed Friendsgiving emoji (which happens to be an adorable Turkey Hand) is shared on Venmo this November, ALDI and Venmo will provide 10 meals to people in need through Feeding America, up to one million meals.
To activate an ALDI donation with your Venmo payment, use the Turkey Hand emoji in your payment note. Once you download the Venmo app, simply select the Turkey Hand emoji from the emoji picker or type in the word “Friendsgiving” and the Turkey Hand emoji will autocomplete when completing a transaction. Every time the emoji is used, ALDI will provide 10 meals to Feeding America.
While I created the Sweet Potato Bite recipes, I found other delicious Friendsgiving recipes (which you saw featured on my Talk of the Town segment) on ALDI’s website. The recipes I featured were:
* Drunken Prunes (though I substituted sparkling grape juice for the red wine)
* Bacon Wrapped Baked Apples
* Autumn Kale Salad
Visit aldi.us to take advantage of even more free resources like recipes, tips, meal plans, videos and eating guides. For more fun information and tips, “Like” ALDI USA on Facebook and follow ALDI.USA on Instagram and Twitter.
And, if you’re like me and want to share your own recipes, photos, tips, and tricks, let ALDI know using the hashtag #ALDIlove on social media.
