Sweet potatoes were the first of the North American roots to show up in Europe. People went crazy for them because they have that unbelievable jammy sweetness that no one had ever had before. They called it a batata. Next came the potato and they called it a patata because they thought it was related to a batata. They’re not related and potato found out pretty quick that batatas are a tough act to follow. That’s why we saved the best for last.

Sweet potato

2-3 sweet potatoe, about the same circumference as a muffin tin

¼ cup brown sugar

½ stick butter, melted

ground cinnamon to taste

ground cloves

ground ginger

1 package of puff pastry

 

Whipping cream

2 cups whipping cream

1 Tbsp ground ginger

splash of vanilla

 

Preheat the oven to 425˚F.

Roll out the puff pastry to ¼ inch thick. Keep it as cold as possible at all times. Cut out the puff pastry rounds using a cookie cutter the size of the middle circumference the muffin tin. Place the puff pastry into the freezer on a flat surface to chill while you prepare the sweet potato.

Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into ¼ inch rounds. Make sure the rounds fit perfectly into the bottom of a muffin tin. Use a sharp cookie cutter to cut them to the perfect size.

Get a muffin tin. Plop a soup spoon of melted butter in the bottom of each muffin vessel. Sprinkle with a tsp of brown sugar and a little cinnamon. Place a round of peeled sweet potato on top. Top the potato with another pinch of sugar and a little bit of butter.

Bake the sweet potatoes so they begin to soften, about for 20 minutes. Check by poking with a fork in the center to make sure it is soft.

Remove from the oven and working quickly place a round of puff pastry on the top of the sweet potato and quickly get it back in the oven.

Bake the pastry until it gets golden brown and flakey… about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let the tarts cool for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a clean cutting board.

Meanwhile make the whipping cream by using a large balloon whisk and a clean chilled glass or metal bowl, or use an electric mixer. When the whipping cream is thickened but still soft add the ground ginger and vanilla. I have omitted sugar because the sweet potato is quite sweet.