Sweet Potato Hash with Italian Sausage

Enter your new favorite brunch entreé.

This entire dish can be made ahead. No chopping sweet potatoes at 8 a.m. allowed. In the morning, spread the refrigerated hash in a big pan. Slide it into a hot oven, and go make coffee. When you come back, the potatoes will be hot and crisped.

Easy, nourishing, delicious — your kitchen will smell amazing, and you'll be ready to serve a crowd. You'll still have plenty of room for something sweet, too...Like brown butter banana bread or cinnamon rolls.

Makes 6-8 servings

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced in half moons 1/2 pound fresh Italian turkey sausage 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cubed in 1/2 inch pieces 4 slices uncured bacon, coarsely chopped 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 short stems fresh rosemary 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon Nature Nate's honey Kosher salt and pepper

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat butter on medium-high heat. Add onions and a generous sprinkle of salt. Lower heat slightly and cook onions for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until very brown and caramelized.

2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, brown the sausage over medium-high heat. Break up sausage with a spatula and cook until browned, about 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, mix sweet potato cubes with olive oil, salt, pepper, honey, and rosemary. Add sausage and caramelized onions to the bowl, and combine.

4. Line a baking sheet with foil and pour sweet potato mixture into an even layer. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. If not serving immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

5. To serve, heat oven to 400 degrees. Place sweet potato hash in a 9x13 baking dish, and cook for 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with parmesan or baked eggs.

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Caramelized Vidalia Onions with Herbed Blue Cheese

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With earlier sunsets and cooler evenings, movie nights have become a more familiar routine and an opportunity to unwind from the grind. I saw Burnt on Sunday evening which, despite fair-weather reviews, was culinary heaven. Though some attest to a flat plot, I valued the full-fledged intensity and tight shots of world-class restaurant style and presentation. The attention to detail was inspiring and motivating; it gripped me entirely. Bradley Cooper wasn't a bad accompaniment to the film's menu, either.

I felt no other reverence for the film's premiere than through cheese; Castello cheese, that is. I created a rich appetizer with creatively crafted blue cheese crumbles. Both the cheese and the onion reveal sweet undertones upon caramelizing in the oven; it's undeniably delicious for this season, especially.

Though the appetizer should reward you enough, Castello cheese + Burnt the Movie are offering the chance to win multiple rewards: private cooking classes for two and free Castello cheese for a year! Good luck.

Makes 4-6 servings

2 large Vidalia onions, cut crosswise into 1/2"-thick slices 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste 4 tablespoons bread crumbs 4 tablespoons Castello crumbled blue cheese 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a foil-lined baking sheet, coat unless slices in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, carefully flipping onions once halfway through.

2. Meanwhile, stir together bread crumbs, blue cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Remove onions from oven and evenly top each with the blue cheese mixture.

3. Continue baking until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Spaghetti Squash Topping Bar

IMG_0639 Now that we're (somehow) in November, gatherings will become the norm. So rather than stressing about homemade, high-maintenance dishes, I recommend introducing simple yet sophisticated serving ideas for your hosted holiday parties. The spaghetti squash topping bar has proven to be my ultimate solution: minimal dishes required (the squash is a bowl in itself), customizable combinations, and hands-on entertainment for every party guest. Plus, it's low carb; and don't we all need a bit of healthy menu planning this season?

Click on the article below for access to the full November Health + Fitness Magazine, where my spaghetti squash topping bar was originally featured. Enjoy!

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The Third Annual Memphis Indie Holiday Market

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poster (2) It's back, and bigger than before! The Memphis Indie Holiday Market will take place at Memphis' "happy place," also known as Muddy's Midtown, on Saturday, December 12 from 11-5 p.m. While I'm not usually an advocate of last-minute shopping, I urge you to hold off until that date. The MIHM will be your one-stop shop for all things holiday, and the 30-vendor list will be revealed soon right here on Caramelized!

Mark your calendars and make your lists. It's going to be wonderful.

Launderette (Austin)

IMG_0395 A refashioned laudromat, gracefully posed as Launderette, defines creative opportunity. Though neighborhood restaurants such as LaV and Qui boast top-charted menus and interior finishes, the repurposing of an existing structure (once used to clean clothes) adds an unmatched charm and modish mood.

The hot neighborhood cafe with a cleverly eclectic menu, new to East Austin this year, jumped to the top of my friends' "must try" list upon our return to the beloved capital of Texas. We booked the community table an upwards of six weeks in advance for the Saturday night climax of our reunion weekend. And from birthday cake ice cream sandwich bites (with candles, of course) to craft cocktails and worldly cuisine, our meal at Launderette was no short of exceptional.

Our table of ten essentially covered the entire menu -- every bite knocked it out of the park. Our initial complaint of small portion size turned quickly into a blessing when we were essentially rolled out of the restaurant at 10:30 p.m.

The crowd favorite was debatable; I would attest that the toast duo (reminiscent of ABC Kitchen in NYC) of crab and soft egg were undeniably awesome. The crab toast was topped with avocado and fennel aioli on semolina bread. The soft egg toast (my personal favorite) holds asparagus, tallegio, truffle vinaigrette, and bottarga.

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The creamy burrata appetizer also stole the hearts of many with its cashew and black mission fig medley and brown butter base. The accompanying grilled bread was so simple yet so satisfying. A few ordered the burrata for an entreé, simply because one bite wasn't enough.

Starters were stronger than entreés, in my opinion, though the housemade bucatini with shrimp and uni corn butter that I shared with a friend was richly rewarding. Sticky brussels sprouts almost challenged Uchiko's world-famous rendition, and the roasted cauliflower with mustard vinaigrette was wildly addictive.

Of course, we ended with the whimsical birthday cake ice cream sandwiches. I am so grateful I do not live in close proximity to this dessert, which could succeed on its own as a business. The cookie layer reminds me of childhood nights during which I'd sneak a bite of raw dough before placing on the baking sheet; the vanilla ice cream is speckled with colorful baby sprinkles. It's a true delight.

The Autumn Grind

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A creative rut: the topic that miraculously appeared on Camille Styles yesterday morning after a week of utter impediments: My to-do list got longer, my distractions got the best of me, and my time simply ran out. Here we are, one week from the retail world's official holiday season, and I am muddling through scribbles of ideas and unfinished business. IMG_9701

In the article, artist Alyson Fox writes:

"In a condensed form: It happens to everyone and just be grateful that you get to try over and over. It’s all part of the process. If you focus on being grateful for your ideas, passion and support in times of a block, it helps move things along. Advice I have given to fellow creatives and friends is this: eat good chocolate, write letters to significant people (not e-mails or texts), organize, purge and cook something new."

And then, I remember. I remind myself: I do not have to mimic the gorgeous pins in my Pinterest feed, nor do I have the capacity to do so. So instead, I will just embrace the grind and be grateful for the creative process. I'll embrace the late-night food prep work required just to squeeze time for a photograph by the window at 7 a.m. before work. I'll embrace the inspiration for my coveted future Caramelized office, which does not yet have a desk and currently involves a nightstand with a recycled kitchen chair. I'll (try to) embrace the notion that I cannot expect myself to execute every feat.

Enjoy your weekend; embrace the grind.

(featured image via local milk)