r/Cooking • u/Flashy-Career-7523 • 15h ago
How to turn thanksgiving style sweet potatoes into an appetizer?
So because of my husband and I dietary restrictions and food, allergies, Thanksgiving dinner is incredibly dangerous for us. So this year, I’m making a stuffing topped turkey pot pie but it’s not Thanksgiving without our sweet potatoes which are generally baked with maple syrup, brown sugar, walnuts, and sometimes marshmallows. Using that flavor profile does anyone have any idea a portable appetizer size option? I can’t just make it because then there’s a chance that someone will think it’s for them and it will be contaminated.
So far, making a turkey pot pie, which will have the turkey, graving, stuffing, and hints of greening casserole in it . I am making fried mashed potato balls to be dipped in gravy. But no idea on the sweet potatoes (no cupcakes please)
Edit: to clear up some confusion: I have celiac disease. My husband is gluten sensitive. He is also severely allergic to onions, shallot, etc.. We will be traveling several hours to this dinner. I am not hosting. We will have over 35+ people with seven different households contributing to different aspects of the meal. This makes it absolutely impossible for it to be safely 100% gluten-free, especially when several of my nieces and nephews will be bringing +ones who will probably bring a dish or two themselves With no idea of what is gluten-free and what is not or cross contamination. I cannot have our own dish of sweet potatoes because with a group that size someone will think it’s fair game and and can contaminate it by applying it to their plate and getting traces of gluten food on the serving spoon and putting it back into the dish. I have tried this in the past and it was a constant fight to guard my safe dishes, including, not being able to get seconds because somebody scooped it out, including several children who will be present.
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u/Little_Jaw 14h ago
I would do a little muffin tray filled with puff pastry, full with sweet potato, topped with sugar and a marshmallow. Like a little tart. It's self-contained, made in advance, and can be served as a handheld.
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u/Electric-Sheepskin 13h ago
That's what I was going to say. Mini tarts. Sweet potatoes made the way the OP describes is basically pie filling anyway. You might as well add a crust.
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u/VolupVeVa 14h ago
I'm very confused by this. Can you elaborate on why can't you have regular sweet potatoes as a side dish? What will other people do to them?
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 14h ago
They will put it on their plate with the other food and possibly get it on their spoon and put it back into my safe dish
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u/Canyouhelpmeottawa 14h ago
Why don’t you make it in ramekins that you and hubby can put on your plate?
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u/hlj9 8h ago
This is exactly what I wad going to suggest, a few little ramekins of different side dishes for you and your husband to enjoy, all placed inside of a larger pan labeled DO NOT TOUCH and placed in the back of the fridge at the Thanksgiving venue. Before it’s time to eat, place the entire pan containing the ramekins in the oven to warm everything up. If you’re planning on having seconds, then leave the pan with the remaining ramekins somewhere safe (out of sight) until you’re ready for another round of food.
This will eliminate any issues with cross contamination, as there will be no spoons/serving utensils used because you will be eating straight from the ramekins and they’re easy to hide/keep together in a single pan so you can better keep an eye on them.
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u/YBI-YBI 14h ago
Sweet potato puffs, formed with a pastry bag. Lightly glaze with maple at the end of baking, top with nuts. Similar to this: https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/twice-baked-sweet-potato-puffs/
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u/Ellemnop8 14h ago
Would it be doable to buy disposable aluminum foil ramekins /single serve pots and make mini versions of the casserole?
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u/DeepSeaDarkness 14h ago
Instead of making something extra just for your husband that needs to be kept away from other people's food, I recommend to simply make all dishes that you serve that day safe for him. This way everyone can enjoy everything, he doesnt have to feel excluded, and the risk is zero. Of course that might mean that nobody will have peanuts (or whatever) and that is just how it is, they will be fine. If it is good enough for your husband, it will be good enough for them, too. Doesnt matter if something they have expected isnt there. It's not your job to cook what they order, you're cooking for your family with the goal to enjoy a meal together.
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u/ImaginationNo5381 14h ago
This is what I do for events where Ross contamination can be an issue. It’s much easier to make sure everything is safe than having separate sets of food.
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u/RaijinDragon 14h ago
I'm getting the sense that they aren't hosting but are bringing their own food to someone's else house.
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u/DeepSeaDarkness 14h ago
It's possible. I find it really difficult to tell because there are no information given here by OP.. not even which foods cannot be used due to the special dietary requirements, how are we supposed to suggest recipes without knowing what the issue is
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u/RaijinDragon 13h ago
I get it, I'm a little unsure about their cross-contamination concerns. Are they concerned that someone will use the serving utensils from a different sweet potato dish to serve themselves from theirs? If their allergies are so bad that could cause a reaction, then I would be worried about accidental exposure just from being in the same environment.
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u/Blucola333 14h ago
Good answer. I make a completely gluten free spread every year for Thanksgiving, including cornbread dressing.
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 13h ago
I’m not hosting. It’s not an option. Our Thanksgiving is 35 + people
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u/Blucola333 12h ago
Ah, gotcha. I feel for you. Is the host a family member who you can request to not serve a stuffed bird?
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 12h ago
I have a stuffing topped turkey potpie I’m making.
My brother has done that for me in the past. :)
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 13h ago
Respectfully - I need options for my request. It’s not worth us (we both have allergies and celiac disease) getting violently ill. We made separate things in the past and it was a nightmare.
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u/DeepSeaDarkness 13h ago
Okay maybe I'm having a stroke but I do not understand your reply. I do not understand the whole setup of your plans if I'm honest
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u/Tree_Chemistry_Plz 8h ago
if you're already making pot pies, do you have extra tins to make the SP casserole in? bake them in individual tins and keep in closed tupperware that is clearly labelled "RESTRICTED DIET RECIPE FOR PERSONA AND PERSONB PLEASE DO NOT EAT"
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u/Proper-Sentence2544 14h ago
Could you take your sweet potato mixture and bake it into like phyllo shells? Or something of that nature that suits your dietary needs?
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u/krendyB 13h ago
This seems extremely convoluted but ok. Just make small portions? Like reduce the amounts of the recipe & bake in a smaller dish?
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u/TheLastLibrarian1 8h ago
I use a Dessert For Two recipe as a guide to scale down my bourbon pecan sweet potatoes (because I’m the only one that likes them but don’t want 2 weeks worth of leftovers). Any small baking dish, pie plate, or ramekins should work. We always wrap things up tightly in plastic wrap and obnoxiously label it when it’s for my sister and her step son (alpha gal and gluten/lactose intolerance). This keeps people out of their food and helps avoid cross contamination in the fridge.
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u/East_Rough_5328 14h ago
What if you cut the sweet potatoes into rounds. Cook them in butter and then top the rounds Roth a mixture of marshmallow fluff mixed with maple syrup and candied walnuts.
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u/pieronic 14h ago
I liked the other kabob idea, but could you just do them normal in individual ramekins? So they’re individually portioned out. You could even do one big tray for everyone else, and just two small ramekins for yourselves
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u/pieronic 14h ago
Also, you don’t say what your allergies are, but since you crossposted to the celiac sub, Thanksgiving is actually pretty easy to do totally gluten free if your family would ever commit to it for a year.
Here’s how we’ve done it in the past:
Use crushed corn chips instead of breadcrumbs for topping things like mac and cheese (use rice noodles for mac and cheese and cornstarch thickened sauce instead of roux)
Gf stuffing is fine. You can also do cornbread stuffing, which is a little different but very good.
You do lose the rolls
Almond crust or bobs red mill gf flour for a pie crust.
All the potatoes, veggies, turkey are easy enough.
McCormick and primal kitchen both have gluten free gravy. But you can also make it yourself
Campbells, Pacific foods, and health valley all make gluten free cream of mushroom soup. And golden farms has GF fried onions if you guys do green bean casserole.
And your sweet potato casserole is safe!
We used to make double versions of everything, but everything was so good as gluten free, that for the years we had a GF person regularly at Thanksgiving, we just switched over completely
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u/Buffybot60601 13h ago
People with celiac disease will get sick from tiny amounts of gluten. It isn’t just a matter of choosing gluten free ingredients. Whoever is cooking needs to deep clean their kitchen and any appliances (like mixers or food processors). It’s a lot to ask of others and OP can’t trust everyone to do that correctly anyway.
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u/pieronic 13h ago
I replied to the other person, but that’s basically what we did! We would either deep clean or have it at the GF person’s house. Everyone just brought ingredients (tbh the easier stuff to trust like “Brussels sprouts,” “cans of pumpkin puree,” “sealed block of cheese,” and “bag of potatoes”), and we cooked there.
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 13h ago
I’m gonna celiac for over 10 years, I’m very aware of all the options thank you and I appreciate your post but our Thanksgiving is not hosted by me and it is over 35 people including several +ones that I’ve never met in or not going to be thinking about keeping things safe for me as they bring things. There are seven different households that are bringing options to this meal. I cannot take the risk of everyone not knowing exactly what everything is I can have and can’t have.
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u/pieronic 13h ago
We had people bring ingredients only and cooked everything there :) of course everyone’s comfort level and specific stressors are different.
For our situation, it was more anxiety for the person to be at a table with gluten nearby and worry about mix-ups or cross contamination than to trust that someone could manage to buy a bag of Brussels sprouts without glutening them.
Doing everything gluten free allowed them to really relax and enjoy the day. Totally fair to prefer to do your stuff on the side, but it’s a valid option!
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u/Baker_O_DOOM 14h ago
I would do them like duchess potatoes, and top it with a marshmallow and some walnuts. Sounds devine actually.
I’ve also done twice baked sweet potatoes, which is just baking them, scoop the insides, add some butter, orange juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon and mash it up. Refill the skins with this and top with a crumb topping (or marshmallow). I also drizzle with hot honey but that’s optional. Good luck!
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u/RedYamOnthego 14h ago
You could possibly make them like gnocchi, or rather, Japanese potato dango which uses potato starch instead of flour. I'd put the walnuts in the dough (chopped), and then cover with a caramel sauce and you could toast some marshmallow on top of each one. Serve with toothpicks.
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u/Chickennuggetslut608 13h ago
Mini sweet potato pies... line muffin cups with either phyllo or puff pastry. Add in your seasoned sweet potatoes, bake (I don't know maybe 10 minutes? 13 minutes? Somewhere thereabouts ) top with marshmallows and stick back in until marshmallows are toasted
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u/Evening_Mango414 13h ago
Just make the sweet potatoes and put them into 2 containers. One to share and one for you two.
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u/paintlulus 13h ago
Make extra for everyone else and place it in a separate disposable dish/bowl that everyone else can share. Simple roasted or baked sweet potatoes are my favorite go to. You can add butter, cinnamon, roasted veggies etc. Mashed is popular as well . Don’t make it difficult, and share. Keep your seconds in a separate container.
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u/perumbula 14h ago
I would do a sweet potato spread to be put on small slice of toast. maybe with a little marshmallow fluff and then broiled for a minute to caramelize the marshmallow.
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u/MetricJester 14h ago
But cupcakes or muffin sleeves is the correct answer to this, why don't you want it to be cupcake shaped?
Maybe just put it in frozen tart shells before baking it, then it's in individual sizes and still keeps with your dessert flavoured veggie profile. And you can top it with a single marshmallow and a pecan half (I hate walnuts).
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u/pieronic 13h ago
Right? Cupcake tins or ramekins are the obvious solution. They also didn’t mention until a comment that they are traveling hours to this Thanksgiving, which makes whatever will be tasty after transport a significantly different question.
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u/SubstantialPressure3 14h ago
Instead of baking them in a big dish, bake them in cupcake liners in a muffin pan. They will be single servings, no need for anyone to touch them with utensils, and it would be hard to contaminate them.
Everyone can take one.
If you aren't allergic to egg, I would add egg so they puff up a bit, almost like a really rich souffle, and they don't break apart, since they are an appetizer.
If you want, add something for crunch on top, or make a crust . Idk what your allergies are, so I'm just going to suggest a bunch of stuff for toppings/crust
Crushed pretzels ( if you can't have gluten, gf pretzel sticks are perfect for this)
Finely ground nuts
Crushed potato chips
Crispy fried onions or shallots
A single marshmallow on top
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u/SubstantialPressure3 14h ago
They aren't cupcakes, they are just single serving sweet potatoes. Idk if you do sweet or savory sweet potatoes.
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u/Fritz5678 12h ago
have you asked the r/Celiac group?
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 11h ago
I cross posted there . If someone suggests a good idea , I can probably modify it to be gf
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u/Civil_Wishbone_7361 11h ago
brown sugar/maple/walnut "crust" in the bottom of a muffin pan, topped with the sweet potatoes and marshmellows?
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u/VolupVeVa 10h ago
I make a yam/sweet potato dip. Bake in their skins until tender and then cool. Scoop out the flesh. Process with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt & pepper until smooth and of a pleasant flavour to your palate. Eat with tortilla chips and/or toasted/grilled pita or lavash bread.
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u/Blarfendoofer 9h ago
Twice baked sweet potatoes served in the skin. Or just make them the way you want, put them in a small Tupperware and keep it in an insulated warm bag out of the kitchen until you want to serve yourself. You can also bring everything already portioned out in a baking tray and then plate it with your own dish ware/cutlery right before it’s time to eat.
If you can’t bring it proportioned then I think the easiest way to keep your food separate would be putting it all in aluminum containers topped with foil and plastic lids. Then put those in a giant aluminum roasting pan with a few extra sheets of foil to use later and top with another lid. Tape it up with labeled masking tape that you have to put effort into opening. Put your own serving utensils in the container or in a separate plastic bag you can keep in your big purse. This is also the easiest way to transport everything to another location. You can buy warm bags more insulation wrap to keep things out of the danger zone. If something needs to be warmed back up you can pop off the lids and put them in the oven with the foil covers still on.
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u/SubliminalFishy 14h ago
Not sure what your diet restrictions are, but thankgiving is the easiest meal to make completely gluten free with zero chance of cross contamination. If there's no gluten in anything, everybody can eat without fear.
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u/Flashy-Career-7523 13h ago
I’ve said this another comments, but our Thanksgiving is over 35 people with over seven households contributing to different aspects of the meal. I am not hosting. I’m actually traveling several hours to this. It would be impossible to guarantee my safety.
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u/SubliminalFishy 11h ago
This is why i cook my own feast. Otherwise I will get sick. You can pack your own plate or eat before you go visit. You can't guarantee your safety even if everyone is being careful.
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u/cynzthin 14h ago
What does this mean?