Clarified Butter. It’s all the rage in the states now, ehem all the rage among white people ehem, but us brown folk have been clarified butter, or Ghee for thousands of years. It’s a staple in Indian cooking and likely in any Indian household. But why all the rage now over clarified butter? Have Westerners finally discovered the purity of ghee? Ghee is called clarified butter because it is removed of the milk solids and cooked longer, ultimately changing the flavor and aroma from traditional butter. Technically, it should be lactose free. There are a few ways to identify good quality ghee – color, aroma, and separation. When ghee is solidified at room temp, it should have a pale yellow color; aroma should be slightly nutty; separation should not exist when ghee is solidified and should be smooth (mixable).

All of these good qualities in ghee can be found in none other than Laxmi House of Spices Ghee.

There are a few reasons why I love it – 1) it matches the 3 criteria I look for in ghee (stated above), 2) its produced locally, 3) it’s inexpensive!! With this in mind, I created a ghee-centric recipe that is great for the summer. Bright sweet potato basted with a Mustard-Chili Infused Laxmi Ghee and topped with a fresh Indian Bruschetta. How can you resist that?!

Ghee Basted Sweet Potato “Toasts” with Indian Bruschetta:

Mustard-Chili Infused Ghee

• 3 tbsp Laxmi House of Spices Ghee
• 1 heaping tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 green chili – sliced in half lengthwise

Indian Bruschetta

• 1 cup grape tomatoes – chopped small
• 1 medium or ~ 1/2 large english cucumber – diced small
• 1/4 cup – fresh coconut, chopped. Use fresh grated coconut from the freezer section, if fresh coconut is not available
• 2 green chilies – finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander – roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• salt
• black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cane sugar

2 medium sweet potatoes – scrubbed clean and pat dried.

1. Toss all of the ingredients for the bruschetta EXCEPT for the salt in a large bowl. We don’t want to add the salt at this point, because it’ll release the moisture of the veggies and make it soggy. That’s a no-no. Set aside.

2. Prep mustard-chili infused ghee. In a small pot, add in the ghee and set over high flame. Once it is melted, clear, and hot, add in the mustard seeds – being VERY careful this WILL pop and splatter. Move the pot around using the handle so the mustard seeds mix into the hot ghee. Then add in the sliced chili and also be careful. Once chili is slightly blistered, turn of the flame and set aside. The mustard seeds and chili can sit in the ghee and create a sort of marinade while we prep the sweet potato.

3. We want to slice the sweet potato into less than 1/8 inch “slices” lengthwise with the peel on. The best way to do this is to cut off the ends of each, and make a small slice on once side to create a stable potato for slicing. Carefully slice the potato lengthwise using a very sharp chef’s knife. Once you’ve sliced them all, lay them out on the cutting board.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high flame. Add a little less than a tbsp of your Mustard-Chili Infused Ghee, once it melts and the pan is hot, and in the potato slices making sure to not crowd the pan. On the top side of each slice, bast with a bit of the infused ghee until coated and sprinkle with a little salt.

After about 3-4 minutes, using tong, check one potato and if it’s golden brown on the edges, flip. Sprinkle a little salt on this side now. Once the potatoes are golden brown on the edges on both sides, remove and place on the cutting board to slightly cool. Repeat until all potato slices are cooked.

5. Now add in about 1/4 tsp salt to the bruschetta and toss. Divide the potato slices among 2 serving plates, top with a generous helping of bruschetta mix and drizzle some of the reserved Mustard-Chili Infused Ghee all over the dish. Serve!