Party Panache, Sweet Potato Spirals with Ham & Cheese

the Painted Apron

5 years ago

Wow, what a Saturday!

We had some of our favorite fans over to watch the SEC Championship game, and there was never a dull moment!

Football means food, but neither HHjr or I had time to make much…

I finally got the pumpkins off the porch but the house is still half decorated…as you can see the Advent Calendar is only half finished too…

“Gigi, you forgot to fill all the bags!”

“When are you going to fill all the bags?”

“Gigi, is there anything in any of the bags?”

That is what I heard from Big E all weekend…

“Don’t worry, I’m working on it,” I assured him…

He’s 6, and he is also worried about Frosty…

“Gigi, how does Frosty get in the bathtub every year, do you put him there?” he asked

“It’s holiday magic” I replied…

“Well, I’m not so sure…but he will be there, I just know it, he comes EVERY year!”

One more thing on my to do list this week…

I did manage to whip up one appetizer which we really enjoyed, it’s kind of like sweet potato casserole in an appetizer bite

Roast sweet potatoes

After 30 minutes at 400 degrees, they will easily mash

Add cream, brown sugar, seasonings and pecans…you can make this up to 4-5 days ahead and refrigerate if you like, that way it would only take minutes to assemble for baking

Spread into an even layer on raw pizza dough or a crescent roll sheet

I also added a layer of thin deli ham and shredded Italian cheese blend, but this is totally optional…you can also use leftover diced dinner ham

Carefully roll it up and slice

If you have time make the roll early and refrigerate it covered {overnight is fine}, chilling makes slicing easier

Just before baking, pour the butter sauce generously over the slices on a parchment lined sheet

Bake until crust/dough is golden and serve warm

You can put these in a large crock pot set on warm {uncovered so they don’t get soggy} and they will hold on your buffet table

The boys won the Oreo cake at their school holiday fair that morning, and I picked up buns and a giant cookie at the grocery store

We also had a delicious Buffalo Chicken Dip that one of my BFFs brought, I will see if she will share the recipe, it was sooo good!

The recipe looks long, but trust me, it’s incredibly fast and easy, especially if you make the sweet potato mixture ahead of time

We got a sampler platter from a fabulous new BBQ place near by, Martin’s BBQ Joint and the BBQ was outstanding, if you have one in your area, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, I highly recommend it!

Roll Tide!

So proud of our classy quarterbacks, Jalen and Tua!

SWEET POTATO PECAN SPIRALS WITH HAM & CHEESE

Course Appetizer, Bread, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword appetizer, Fall, football food, glazed ham, ham spirals, pecans, sweet potato spirals, sweet potatoes, Thanksgiving

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Servings 16

Ingredients

2-3 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
olive oil salt & pepper
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 thin pizza crust dough or crescent roll dough sheet {I used Pillsbury thin pizza crust dough in a can}
1 cup Praline Pecans* or roasted pecans *see recipe in notes
3-4 oz. deli ham slices or 2 cups finely chopped ham, optional
2-3 oz. grated Italian blend cheese or Parmesan, Fontina, Gruyere, optional
2 T brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 T Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Put potatoes on lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast potatoes at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
Mash with fork, potato masher or immersion blender. Add brown sugar, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and whisk to combine. Stir in pecans.
Roll out dough on a piece of parchment paper. Spread dough evenly with sweet potato mixture. Top with ham slices then cheese. Roll up in parchment and refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight. Slice dough into 1/2″ spirals and lay on parchment lined baking sheet.
Combine melted butter, brown sugar and Worchestershire and drizzle generously over slices. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes until dough is done and golden. Serve warm.

Notes

Praline Pecans

1 cup pecan halves

1 T unsalted butter

dash olive oil

1/4 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper

Melt butter in skillet. Add a dash of olive oil to keep butter from burning. Add pecans and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium 4-5 minutes until nuts begin to caramelize. Don’t walk away, this happens fast! Remove nuts to a piece of wax paper to cool. Salt. Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Makes 1 cup.