Stew

A couple weeks ago I bought five pounds of sweet potatoes because they were 20 cents a pound... and ever since I've been trying to find creative ways to use them!  (So if you have ideas, I'd love to hear!)

Tonight, I poked around on the web and ended up making a stew of sorts -- a conglomeration of several recipes.  It turned out to be really tasty so I thought I'd share.  It's hearty and just a wee bit spicy; perfect for chilly evenings!

Sweet Potato-Lentil Stew

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 apple, peeled and chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T butter or olive oil
3/4 cup lentils
1/4 tsp each ginger, cumin, curry powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups broth (chicken or veg, your choice)

Saute all the veg and the apple in the butter until onion is translucent and everything else begins to soften.  Add in broth, lentils, and seasonings, bring to boil; turn down and simmer until lentils are softened and veg are cooked (about 30 minutes).  Should be quite thick but not dry; add in more water/broth if necessary.  Adjust seasonings and serve!

2 generous servings

Notes: one of my inspiration recipes said to serve with dollops of plain yoghurt.  Another said to purée the soup.  So I suppose you could try that!  I liked it in chunks, just as it was.

I'm sorry there's no picture but the light was bad by the time I finished cooking, and anyway it's not a very exciting-looking stew.  But it tastes excellent!