Sweet Potato Wears Banana Pants

Think bananas, think versatile. Banana bread or cake or muffins, bananas on cereal or oatmeal, in milkshakes, as chips, in chutneys, everywhere. I offer this confession: When I was a kid, my favorite candy was a plastic banana filled with banana-flavored sugar. You twisted off the cap and poured a nice pile of sucrose onto your tongue. In retrospect, I can't believe I craved that stuff.

Luckily, I no longer crave such abominations. I appreciate the unexpected complexities of real food, and I have been thinking that if my aspirations to be a writer don't work out, I'll be a chef, because being a chef is like creating stories with food. Although that's rather removed from creating stories with words, I'd still be content.

Consider, for example, the psychological state of a sweet potato. She's often mistaken for a yam, often relegated to the traditional Thanksgiving meal. She doesn't get included in the many other potato games. No one wants to whip her up with some milk and seasonings, or ladle gravy onto her. She appears lumpy and formidable, not oval like a Yukon, not darling like a Red. She's brighter orange like sherbet.

The banana has a much easier go of it, but a banana would air his grievances, given a chance. He's tired of being sliced on cold cereal. He's through with bread and smoothies. He never wanted to tango with strawberries or kiwis. He's pleaded with produce managers to be gentle - no one knows bruises better than the banana. And while the banana is enjoyed alone, raw, the banana thinks his time has come to be included in a hot dish.

So consider that these two starches have met and mingled and agreed to see each other from time to time in a little concoction that is sweet and savory. It's a dish that is also through-the-roof healthy. Sweet potatoes and bananas are full of vitamins A and C. Sweet potatoes are also related to the morning glory flower. Be aware of how cool that is. And honey is the original sweetener. Vegans listen: the bees want you to make this dish.

Fluffy Mashed Sweet Potatoes (adapted from The Vegetarian Times)

2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
3 bananas, mashed
1 ½ cups soymilk or milk
½ cup prune, apple, or orange juice
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon allspice

Topping:
2 teaspoons candied ginger
OR
1 tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ginger

Preheat the oven to 375. Oil a casserole dish. To cook the potatoes, peel them, cube them, and boil until soft. Drain and mash. For the bananas, choose overripe candidates that have seen better days of yellow. They will be rich in flavor, easily mashed. Plain soymilk is suitable, but vanilla is daring. Try it. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the ginger and brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Spoon the mixture into the casserole and bake until golden brown, about 50-60 minutes. Sprinkle with candied ginger, or a mixture of brown sugar and ginger. Serves six.

Jen Hirt is an MFA student in creative writing at the University of Idaho. She's working on a collection of essays about greenhouses.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective contributors, except were otherwise noted.

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