Sweet Potato Oranges win in the Anything But Ordinary! Sweet Potato Recipe Contest
Taylor Buscemi of Cary won first place and $250 for Sweet Potato Oranges in the Anything But Ordinary! Sweet Potato Recipe Contest at the N.C. State Fair.
Dayle Johnson of Cary placed second and received $175 for Baked Manicotti with Country Sweet Potato Stuffing. Rhianna Brandt of Durham placed third and received $125 for Rhianna’s Red Eye Sweet Potato Soup. Honorable mention and $75 went to Crystal Cox of Raleigh for her Zesty Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup
All entries were required to include at least 1½ cups of fresh sweet potatoes and were judged on taste, family appeal, creativity and ease of preparation. The contest was sponsored by the N.C. Sweet Potato Commission.
The winning recipe follows:
Sweet Potato Oranges
- 6 medium/large oranges
- 1 cup butter, softened, divided
- 3 cups mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare oranges by cutting tops off, ¼ to ½ inch down. Spoon out the flesh, leaving the shell.
In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, ½ cup butter and grated orange peel. Spoon mixture into orange shells. Place in deep casserole dish.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining ½ cup butter, brown sugar, flour and pecans. Cook until sugar dissolves in melted butter. Spoon over oranges. Fill casserole dish with water to reach ½ inch depth.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
