September 5, 2012
A young chef’s guide to the Rosh Hashanah meal
Follow JewishJournal.com on 
(Page 3 - Previous Page)
Mashed sweet potatoes with cumin-spiced pumpkin seeds and schmaltz
Clockwise, from top left: Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Cumin-Spiced Pumpkin Seeds and Schmaltz; Warm Kale-and-Fennel Slaw With Smashed Garlic Vinaigrette; Apples and Honey Chicken.
4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons schmaltz
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
In a medium sized sauce pot, place the diced sweet potatoes and enough water to cover them along with a generous pinch of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and simmer until very tender, about 30 minutes.
In a small sauté pan over low heat, add the pumpkin seeds, cumin and dash of olive oil. Stir the mixture until the cumin becomes fragrant. Remove from the pan and reserve for garnish.
Drain the water from the potatoes, and place the potatoes back in the same pot. Let the potatoes steam for about 2 minutes in order to dry.
Add the schmaltz, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Mash the mixture until smooth.
Garnished the finished potatoes with the toasted pumpkin seeds and serve.
Serves 6.
Honey-olive oil cookies with thyme and fleur de sel
Honey-Olive Oil Cookies With Thyme and Fleur de Sel
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons fleur de sel
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Combine the flour, sugar and most of the thyme leaves in a bowl (reserve some of the leaves to garnish the cookies).
Combine the honey, egg and olive oil in another bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix to form a dough (if too wet, add more flour; if too dry, add more olive oil).
Coat your hands in olive oil, and roll golf ball-sized pieces of dough. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Garnish the tops of each dough ball with thyme leaves and a pinch of fleur de sel.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the bottom of the cookies are golden brown.
Makes 15 cookies.
