This was my inspiration for this week's recipe:

Let me start by saying I am NOT a sweet potato fan. If I had to eat one, I would want it baked with butter, salt and pepper. I know they are both trendy and healthy, but I associate them with Thanksgiving food. The last time I cooked OR ate a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving was sometime in the 1980's when my ex-mother-in-law set my oven on fire and got 10 pounds of potatoes on the ceiling and walls of my brand new kitchen. PTSD on Thanksgiving foods. The only part of the traditional meal I like is COLD turkey, stuffing, and homemade cranberry sauce. I try to prepare these for Brad sometime else during the year. I have no interest in sweet potato fries, or anything that makes an already sweet food sweeter.

However...this week's ingredient is sweet potatoes. When I saw this bottle of ginger syrup at Williams-Sonoma, I decided to pair it with sweet potatoes.

I began with four large sweet potatoes.

I washed, peeled and cubed them, tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and roasted them for over an hour until they were tender.

Next I stirred together these four ingredients in a bowl:

4 T. melted butter
3 T. ginger syrup
2 t. cinnamon
4 oz. orange juice

Pour liquid mixture over sweet potatoes and mash in a large bowl. Spread mashed sweet potatoes into a 9x13 baking dish.

Top with 6 slices of crumbled bacon and 3/4 c. gingersnap crumbs, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Did it taste good? Yes.

Will I make it again. No.

I decided that with the exception of fruit, I don't like sweet foods on my dinner plate. This is true for pumpkin, squash, brussels sprouts, and all things people add brown sugar, or maple syrup, or heaven forbid, marshmallows to. I like these foods salty, so add cheese or pancetta, and I'm on board. If I ever HAVE to eat a sweet potato, I'll still take mine with just butter, salt and pepper, please.