It’s always fun to add something new to your Thanksgiving meal, even though it’s a holiday steeped in tradition. Or perhaps you’ve already got your menu set for that day, but are looking for some savory fall flavors to add as sides to your favorite entrees. Whatever the case, I hope you’ll enjoy making these spicy collards and cheesy sweet potatoes.

I’ve had a taste for combining collards and sweet potatoes for a week or two now. Thankfully, I found a few items in my fridge and pantry that inspired this recipe. Hot cherry peppers and Nacho cheese? You’ll see!

COLLARD GREENS

I based my collards recipe on an Ethiopian meal shared by Janessa’s Dinners. I love her variation because it doesn’t use a lot water, allowing the collards to cook much quicker. Plus the flavors are on point!

Generally, when I buy collards, I either get them buy the bundle, or a pre-shredded bag of them. They are fresher and cheaper by the bundle, but pre-shredded is definitely a time saver. Plus, it takes up less space in my fridge.

For this variation, I used powdered ginger instead of whole (it’s what I had on hand), and I used the hot cherry peppers instead of jalapeno.

When cooking spicy collards, I start with a little oil in the biggest pot I have. Which actually, is just a simple 5 quart pot.

With the first bite, I thought I had made it too spicy. But that wasn’t the case. It was pretty mild. So if you decide to try this recipe but want some more heat, add some more peppers, dried red chili flakes, or even some hot sauce.

SWEET POTATOES

For the sweet potatoes, I was going to just do a traditional mash with heavy cream and butter. But I saw nacho cheese in the fridge. Suddenly, I was compelled to try something new. What if, instead of using butter, I used nacho cheese?

I roasted the potatoes at 400F for about 40 minutes, so they were good and soft. I guess I could have cubed and boiled them, but that requires more prep work. Also, I think roasting provides better flavor. Microwave can work too if you’re in a pinch or that’s all you’ve got. But I’ve found that it’s easy to overcook the potato.

After peeling the skin off the roasted potatoes and adding them to the pot, this dish was done within a couple of minutes. I already had the heavy cream and cheese warming up and mixing together. So adding potatoes hot from the oven, just meant that I needed mix to combine. Give it a taste, and add a little salt and/or pepper if you think it needs it.

CONCLUSION

I find that the deep, robust flavors of the collards couple so well with the playful, sweetness of the potatoes. That’s why I had to have them together.

Initially, I plated these dishes side by side and tried them separately. Both really tasty in their own right. But what if I married those flavors together? What would happen?

Magic? Well I don’t know about that, but I found the sweet potatoes covered with collards to be quite delicious. Also, to be completely honest, it did look like I’d created a little chia pet.

At last, my craving for sweet potatoes and collards had been satisfied.

As always, thank you for reading. I hope this will inspire you to take some chances in your kitchen and share some delicious flavors with your friends and family.

Enjoy!