Sweet Potato and Apple Mash

This recipe takes some pretty homey ingredients and makes a filling and sweet side dish! It goes great for Thanksgiving, as a side for pork chops, or for me, a hot breakfast when I'm sick of oatmeal. Because the ingredients are already sweet as is, you shouldn't need to add a ton of sugar to make the dish sing. And once you figure out how easy it is, you'll be making apple sauce and mashed sweet potatoes all the time!

Sweet Potato and Apple Mash
makes 4 side portions

2 small-medium sweet potatoes
1 golden delicious apple
1/4 inch ginger, grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1/3 stick of butter (Optional, apologies in advance for your arteries)
generous squeeze honey

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes and apple. You don't have to be perfect - leaving a bit of skin on is okay for fiber and nutrition, but try to get like 90% of it. (I like leaving a bit of apple skin especially for texture, but if you do so, it has to be chopped fine.) Cut sweet potatoes into 1.5 inch chunks. Core apple and cut into 6-8 slices.
2. Heat a nonstick pot (stainless steel for me) and add sweet potatoes. Add 1/4 cup water or apple juice and the coin of ginger. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. Stir the sweet potatoes and add more water if you notice the bottom of the pot is dry. Add the apple slices on top and cover again. Come back in another 10 minutes.
4. Hopefully by now you're starting to see the sweet potato soften. Go ahead and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, and honey. If you'd like the mix to be spicier, add ground ginger. Mix well and continue to simmer with the pot lid off. 
5. As the sweet potato softens, mash it with a fork. The apple should have cooked down the apple sauce already. Mash the two together. As more sweet potato cooks and the mixture becomes thick and difficult to work with, add the butter a tea spoon at a time. The mixture will become much smoother.
6. Season and add butter to the consistency you like. I like mine mostly smooth, but its totally your preference.
7. To make it more fancy, sprinkle some toasted nuts over the top, or mini marshmallows.