Fall food

I’m going to make a bold statement here: autumn offers some of the best seasonal foods.

Sure, summer has berries and sweet corn, and winter features ginger-flavored goods and dark, leafy greens, but I anticipate autumnal fruits and vegetables more than those of any other season.

Which is why it saddens me that the widespread beloved dishes of this season are reduced to pumpkin pie, apple cider and candy apples.

Don’t even get me started on pumpkin spice lattes.

But first, let me make this clear — I love all the foods previously mentioned. If you were to deprive me of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving or a candy apple on a sunny weekend day, I would be robbed of the fall spirit.

Don’t do that to me.

But I can’t help but be disappointed that so many delicious fall fruits and vegetables go ignored.

Sweet potatoes, pears, butternut and acorn squash, persimmons and eggplants are only a few types of produce you could fill your bag with at the farmers’ market in the cool, fall months.

But most people are apparently hooked on canned pumpkin puree, caramel sauce and, basically, a whole lot of sugar.

So I’m giving you an excuse to break out of your 10-year-old eating habits with what I believe to be an ideal recipe for cool fall mornings.

I’m giving you spicy sweet potato hash with creamy goat cheese.

As students, we can’t always afford to put in great amounts of time and money into cooking, but that doesn’t mean our diets should suffer. This dish won’t make your stomach growl for too long while you’re preparing it. It won’t deplete your alcohol funds, and it will satisfy your ramen-numbed, flavor-deprived palate.

It’s sweet from the potatoes and maple syrup, spicy from the curry powder and rich and tangy from the goat cheese.

And you should top it with a fried egg. Go big or go home.

Double the recipe and make it for your hungover roommates on a late Saturday morning, or fix it for yourself on a weekday when you don’t have evening classes. The beauty of this recipe is, though it may traditionally be seen as a breakfast dish, it doesn’t have to be confined to the morning hours.

As college students, we know breakfast is an appropriate meal to eat at any time of the day.

And if you absolutely must, satisfy your traditional fall cravings, and grab yourself a cup of hot apple cider to go along with it. I won’t disapprove. In fact, I’d tip my hat to you.

Sweet Potato Hash with Goat Cheese

Serves two

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet potatoes (about two small potatoes) peeled and chopped in half-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
+ salt and pepper to your taste
+ eggs (optional)

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and boil for about four minutes or until tender. Drain the pot, and set potatoes aside.

2. Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil and curry powder, cooking for a minute so the curry powder is aromatic. Add the chopped onion, and cook until slightly browned and translucent, which will take about 10 minutes.

3. Add sweet potato cubes, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden brown. Add maple syrup, salt and pepper, and toss all ingredients, cooking for one minute.

4. Once plated, top with the crumbled goat cheese. If you know what’s good, you’ll also top this with a fried egg.