Dolloped Sweet Potatoes

Okay, I'm starting the debate about sweet potatoes. I think every family has a specific way they like their sweet potatoes. Marshmallows or no, savory or sweet, and then there's the even more basic of do you use sweet potatoes or yams. Right? Well, here's MY take on this debate and what MY family likes on the holiday menu for that delicious Thanksgiving must-have. First, note: I just barely am starting to understand that there was a difference between sweet potatoes and yams, so I haven't experimented enough to really decide which I like better, BUT I do know I LOVE yams, so that's what I use.
I grew up not liking "sweet potatoes"- it was the part of Thanksgiving I thought well, if I run out room on the plate before I get some, no worries! Mostly all those times were dishes that included marshmallows or nuts on top- not my cup of tea. My mother's way to serve them are plain sliced with a little butter, salt, pepper, brown sugar?... on top (I think)- something simple like that. But that didn't get me either. The following recipe is a perfect medium between genuinely leaving the good taste of yams alone (not whipping it up with whatever) and yet still has a sweet topping, but not overpowering like marshmallows. It's great! Even though this recipe calls for sweet potatoes, the picture going along with this recipe looks very carotene in color, which tells me its more like yams...can sweet potatoes be that rich in color? I'm not sure, like I said. But when I was cooking thanksgiving dinner last year by myself, I used yams (garnet yams if you had to pick) and this recipe- LOVED IT! Our guests said that they were the highlight of the meal! It's an easy recipe... the first time I made it I didn't want to buy 'pumpkin pie spice' (student's budget), so I read the ingredients of that spice and made up my own. This worked great because I could actually use more of what I like (for example, cinnamon) and less of what I don't like as much. Hope you enjoy this recipe- I've memorized it, I make it even when it's not Thanksgiving dinner, it's just so good. Recipe note: bake yams in the microwave or over, either way, but if you use the oven don't wrap in foil like you might do a regular baked potato. The sweet potatoes tend to get all sticky and hard to manage after you take the foil off. Just scrub, prick with fork, and throw them in.

Dolloped Sweet Potatoes
From Taste of Home. Dolloped Sweet Potatoes published in Simple & Delicious November/December 2006, p10.

Ingredients

* 4 small sweet potatoes
* 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
* 1 tablespoon butter, softened
* 2 tablespoons brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions

* Scrub and pierce sweet potatoes; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10-13 minutes or until tender, turning twice. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
* Cut an "X" in the top of each potato; fluff pulp with a fork. Dollop with cream cheese mixture. Yield: 4 servings.