Sweet Potato Tamale

Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 20 dried corn husks or 20 parchment paper
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels (either fresh or frozen)
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 head roasted garlic, cloves removed
• 2 cups chicken stock or 2 cups water
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon honey
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large sweet potatoes or 2 medium sweet potatoes

Recipe

• 1 if using dried corn husks: about 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under running water. soak them in warm water for 2 hours, or until softened.
• 2 put the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a large mixing bowl, cut in the butter and shortening. using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, honey, and salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat. the mixture will be a lot looser than you think it should be, but when the tamales are steamed it will dry out.
• 3 remove the cornhusks from the water and set aside the best 20 husks. drain and pat dry. tear the remaining husks into 1-inch wide strips to be used for tying. lay 2 husks (or about a 5 inch piece of parchment) flat on a work surface, with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping by about 3 inches. place about 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center. bring the long sides up over the masa, slightly overlapping, and pat down to close. (if the masa drips out a little at the seam, that is no problem.) tie each end of the bundle with a strip of cornhusk (or string), pushing the filling toward the middle as you tie. trim the ends to about 1/2-inch beyond the tie.
• 4 arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil, and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes. to serve: slice a slit on top of each tamale and push both ends of the tamale toward the middle to expose the masa.