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Sweet Potatoes With Tahini Butter

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Photo by Gentl and Hyers, food styling by Susie Theodorou, prop styling by Nina Lalli

Steaming offers extreme speed and high hydration, which means that whatever you cook—from seasonal vegetables to proteins—will be done quickly and always moist. Sweet potatoes in particular benefit from this treatment, which makes their flesh pudding-like and fluffy. And you may think the tahini and butter will never combine with the liquids. Don’t give up; it will happen. This recipe is from Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    6 servings

Ingredients

3 lb. sweet potatoes, any color (6 small or 3 large), scrubbed
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. tahini
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Flaky sea salt
Toasted sesame seeds and lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a medium pot fitted with a steamer basket. Halve sweet potatoes crosswise if large and place in steamer. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and steam until fork-tender, 25–30 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, smash together butter, lime juice, tahini, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl with a fork until smooth, about 3 minutes. Season tahini butter with kosher salt and lots of pepper.

    Step 3

    Arrange sweet potatoes on a platter or a large plate. Let cool until you can just handle them, then split open and generously spread tahini butter over. Season with sea salt; top liberally with sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges (this dish really comes alive with lots of bright citrus).

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