Milk-Poached Sweet Potato Purée

To make the sweet potato purée I serve with my Manchego Pork Meatballs, I simmer the sweet potato in milk. It's a technique we used at the restaurant at culinary school. It adds a little richness during cooking and when you use the cooking liquid to thin the purée in the blender. You could certainly use water if you prefer or if you're running low on milk, a mix of milk and water works well too. I also add in a touch of freshly ground nutmeg and vanilla. Keep these really light as both can quickly become overpowering.

Sweet Potato Purée

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)

4 cups of milk

1/4 tsp vanilla

Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, divided

Place the cubed sweet potato in medium pot and cover with the milk, adding more as needed to cover the sweet potato by an inch or two. Add the nutmeg, vanilla and 1 tsp of salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the sweet potato is tender, stirring often to prevent a skin from forming on the surface of the milk.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sweet potato to high-powered blender. Add 1/4 cup cooking liquid and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt to the sweet potato and process until smooth. If using a Vitamix, you can use the plunger attachment to make sure the mixture gets smooth without adding too much liquid. If needed, add more liquid 1 tbsp at a time to get the mixture smooth.