Fiery-Hot Baked Sweet Potato

Greg accidentally created this recipe when he sprinkled a baked sweet potato with what he thought was ground cinnamon. Upon taking a bite, he quickly discovered that the brown powder in the unlabeled bulk spice jar was NOT ground cinnamon, but rather ground habanero pepper powder!! Needless to say, he was rather surprised.... but ultimately concluded that it was a tasty, if outrageously HOT, alternative to cinnamon-spiced baked sweet potatoes.

Ingredients
1 sweet potato per person
Butter or margarine
Ground Habanero pepper powder (found at specialty or gourmet foods shops, ethnic markets and anywhere that sells bulk spices)*See Note below
Maple syrup (optional)

Wash and dry each sweet potato, and bake as usual (I like to rub the outside with a little butter or spray with butter spray before baking). When sweet potatoes are done, place on serving plate and cut a slit longways and pull the halves apart slightly. Place a few pats of butter or margarine in each potato, sprinkle lightly with habanero powder (or more heavily if you are a serious chilehead or capsaicin addict), and drizzle a little bit of maple syrup on top if desired. Serve with a nice tall glass of ice water, milk or other cold beverage of your choice.
Note: If you can't find ground habanero pepper powder, or you want to try something with a more complex flavor, you can't go wrong with either Habanero Rub From Hell or Habanero Seasoning From Hell, both of which are salt-free and packed with flavor and fire!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
www.carolinasauce.com