Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Soy Glazed Covington Sweet Potato Three Ways
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
40 minutes
50 minutes
1 hour 30 minutes
Serves:
4 servings
Rhoda created this dish for Top Chef ™ 23. Her soy-glazed Covington sweet potato reimagines kamote cue, the caramelized Filipino street snack of her childhood, as a refined four-texture plate. The judges called it sweet potato as a complete dish, praising the miso purée that made the sweet potatoes...
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Ingredients
FOR THE SOY-LIME GLAZED SWEET POTATO:
Granulated sugar – 1/4 cup (50 g)
Water – 2 tbsp (30 ml)
Soy sauce – 3 tbsp (45 ml), a good all-purpose soy
Fresh lime juice – 2 tbsp (30 ml), about 1 lime
Lime zest – 1 tsp, finely grated (reserve some to finish)
Unsalted butter – 1 tbsp (14 g), to finish the glaze
Neutral oil – 2 tbsp (30 ml), for searing
Covington (or orange-fleshed) sweet potatoes – 2 large, peeled and cut in 1 1/4-in / 3 cm chunks
FOR THE SWEET POTATO-MISO PUREE:
Sweet potato – 1 medium (about 300 g), roasted whole
White (shiro) miso – 1 1/2 tbsp (25 g), mild and sweet
Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp (28 g), cold and cubed
Whole milk or cream – 2–4 tbsp (30–60 ml), to loosen
Fine sea salt – to taste
FOR THE CRISPY SWEET POTATO:
Sweet potato – 1/2 medium, julienned or shaved into thin ribbons
Neutral oil, for frying – 2–3 cups (500–750 ml)
Fine sea salt – to taste
FOR THE LIME CREME FRAICHE:
Crème fraîche – 1/2 cup (120 g), or thick sour cream
Lime zest – 1 tsp, plus more to finish
Fresh lime juice – 1–2 tsp (5–10 ml), to taste
Honey – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Fine sea salt – 1 pinch
TO FINISH:
Flaky sea salt – to taste
Thinly sliced scallion or micro herbs – to garnish (optional)
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Sheet pan and a rimmed roasting tray
Blender or food processor
Mandoline or vegetable peeler
Heavy skillet or sauté pan with a lid
Small saucepan
Deep pot or high-sided pan with a thermometer
Microplane or fine grater
Spider or slotted spoon; paper towels
Method
STEP 1: ROAST THE SWEET POTATO FOR THE PUREE
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick the medium sweet potato all over and roast directly on a sheet pan for 45–55 minutes, until completely soft and the edges begin to caramelize. The slow roast concentrates the natural sugar, so do not rush it in the microwave. Scoop out the hot flesh and discard the skin.
STEP 2: BUILD THE SOY-LIME GLAZE
In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until it turns a light amber caramel, 5–7 minutes. Off the heat, carefully whisk in the soy sauce and fresh lime juice (it will sputter and seize, so keep whisking), then return to low heat to dissolve smooth. Stir in the lime zest. Set aside; you will finish it with butter at glazing time. This caramel-built glaze is the direct nod to kamote cue.
STEP 3: MAKE THE SWEET POTATO-MISO PUREE
While still warm, blend the roasted sweet potato flesh with the white miso and cold butter until glossy, adding milk or cream a spoonful at a time until silky and spoonable. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve for a restaurant-smooth finish. Taste and adjust, adding fine sea salt only after tasting, since miso brings its own salinity. This is the element the judges singled out: the salty miso is what made the sweet potatoes sing. Keep warm.
STEP 4: FRY THE CRISPY SWEET POTATO
Julienne or shave the half sweet potato into very thin strands and pat thoroughly dry. Heat the frying oil to 325°F (160°C). Fry in small batches, stirring, until deep gold and crisp, 2–3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately. Keep them dry and do not crowd the pan, or they will steam instead of crisp.
STEP 5: SEAR AND GLAZE THE HERO CHUNKS
Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Sear the Covington chunks on all sides until deeply caramelized, 6–8 minutes, then add a splash of water, cover, and steam 4–5 minutes until tender. Pour off any excess oil. Warm the reserved glaze, whisk in the unsalted butter for gloss, and add the chunks, turning to coat and letting the glaze reduce and lacquer onto them. You want char plus shine, just like potatoes finished back on the grill.
STEP 6: WHISK THE LIME CREME FRAICHE
Stir the crème fraîche with the lime zest, fresh lime juice, optional honey, and a pinch of fine sea salt. It should be pourable but not runny: bright and cool, the foil to all that caramelized sweetness.
STEP 7: PLATE AS "SWEET POTATO, FOUR WAYS"
Sweep or dot the warm miso purée across each plate. Arrange the glazed, charred chunks on top. Spoon or streak the lime crème fraîche alongside. Crown with a generous tangle of the crispy sweet potato. Finish with fresh lime zest, flaky sea salt, and scallion or micro herbs. The aim is the judges' read of the original: layers and layers of sweet potato, one ingredient, four textures, complete.
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Instructions
FOR THE SOY-LIME GLAZED SWEET POTATO (THE HERO):
Granulated sugar – 1/4 cup (50 g)
Water – 2 tbsp (30 ml)
Soy sauce – 3 tbsp (45 ml), a good all-purpose soy
Fresh lime juice – 2 tbsp (30 ml), about 1 lime
Lime zest – 1 tsp, finely grated (reserve some to finish)
Unsalted butter – 1 tbsp (14 g), to finish the glaze
Neutral oil – 2 tbsp (30 ml), for searing
Covington (or orange-fleshed) sweet potatoes – 2 large, peeled and cut in 1 1/4-in / 3 cm chunks
FOR THE SWEET POTATO-MISO PUREE:
Sweet potato – 1 medium (about 300 g), roasted whole
White (shiro) miso – 1 1/2 tbsp (25 g), mild and sweet
Unsalted butter – 2 tbsp (28 g), cold and cubed
Whole milk or cream – 2–4 tbsp (30–60 ml), to loosen
Fine sea salt – to taste
FOR THE CRISPY SWEET POTATO:
Sweet potato – 1/2 medium, julienned or shaved into thin ribbons
Neutral oil, for frying – 2–3 cups (500–750 ml)
Fine sea salt – to taste
FOR THE LIME CREME FRAICHE:
Crème fraîche – 1/2 cup (120 g), or thick sour cream
Lime zest – 1 tsp, plus more to finish
Fresh lime juice – 1–2 tsp (5–10 ml), to taste
Honey – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Fine sea salt – 1 pinch
TO FINISH:
Flaky sea salt – to taste
Thinly sliced scallion or micro herbs – to garnish (optional)
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Sheet pan and a rimmed roasting tray
Blender or food processor
Fine-mesh sieve
Mandoline or vegetable peeler
Heavy skillet or sauté pan with a lid
Small saucepan
Deep pot or high-sided pan with a thermometer
Microplane or fine grater
Spider or slotted spoon; paper towels
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: ROAST THE SWEET POTATO FOR THE PUREE
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prick the medium sweet potato all over and roast directly on a sheet pan for 45–55 minutes, until completely soft and the edges begin to caramelize. The slow roast concentrates the natural sugar, so do not rush it in the microwave. Scoop out the hot flesh and discard the skin.
STEP 2: BUILD THE SOY-LIME GLAZE
In a small saucepan, combine the granulated sugar and water. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until it turns a light amber caramel, 5–7 minutes. Off the heat, carefully whisk in the soy sauce and fresh lime juice (it will sputter and seize, so keep whisking), then return to low heat to dissolve smooth. Stir in the lime zest. Set aside; you will finish it with butter at glazing time. This caramel-built glaze is the direct nod to kamote cue.
STEP 3: MAKE THE SWEET POTATO-MISO PUREE
While still warm, blend the roasted sweet potato flesh with the white miso and cold butter until glossy, adding milk or cream a spoonful at a time until silky and spoonable. Pass through a fine-mesh sieve for a restaurant-smooth finish. Taste and adjust, adding fine sea salt only after tasting, since miso brings its own salinity. This is the element the judges singled out: the salty miso is what made the sweet potatoes sing. Keep warm.
STEP 4: FRY THE CRISPY SWEET POTATO
Julienne or shave the half sweet potato into very thin strands and pat thoroughly dry. Heat the frying oil to 325°F (160°C). Fry in small batches, stirring, until deep gold and crisp, 2–3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and salt immediately. Keep them dry and do not crowd the pan, or they will steam instead of crisp.
STEP 5: SEAR AND GLAZE THE HERO CHUNKS
Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. Sear the Covington chunks on all sides until deeply caramelized, 6–8 minutes, then add a splash of water, cover, and steam 4–5 minutes until tender. Pour off any excess oil. Warm the reserved glaze, whisk in the unsalted butter for gloss, and add the chunks, turning to coat and letting the glaze reduce and lacquer onto them. You want char plus shine, just like potatoes finished back on the grill.
STEP 6: WHISK THE LIME CREME FRAICHE
Stir the crème fraîche with the lime zest, fresh lime juice, optional honey, and a pinch of fine sea salt. It should be pourable but not runny: bright and cool, the foil to all that caramelized sweetness.
STEP 7: PLATE AS "SWEET POTATO, FOUR WAYS"
Sweep or dot the warm miso purée across each plate. Arrange the glazed, charred chunks on top. Spoon or streak the lime crème fraîche alongside. Crown with a generous tangle of the crispy sweet potato. Finish with fresh lime zest, flaky sea salt, and scallion or micro herbs. The aim is the judges' read of the original: layers and layers of sweet potato, one ingredient, four textures, complete.
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