“To preserve potatoes…”
ELINOR FETTIPLACE’S RECEIPT BOOK
Boile your roots in faire water until they bee somewhat tender then pill of the skinne, then make your syrupe, weying to every pound of roots a pound of sugar and a quarter of a pint of faire water, & as much of rose water, & the juice of three or fowre oranges, then boile the syrupe, & boile them till they bee throughlie soaked in the syrupe, before you take it from the fire, put in a little musk and amber greece.
Sir Walter Raleigh’s Sweet Potatoes
Description
Allegedly, this recipe came from Sir Walter Raleigh himself. I could draw parallels between the prideful and contentious nature of this recipe and its attribution, but that is for another place. What we have is a recipe for genuinely candied Sweet Potatoes featuring some of the hallmark ingredients of the time - Rose Water, Bitter Orange, and Musk. I have omitted the Ambergris because I am not able to locate food-safe synthetic Ambergris. You could, as I have done before, choose to spray an emulsion of synthetic Ambergris on a garnish for the plate so that its perfume is perceived by your guests as well. I think this is a wonderful dish that is simultaneously familiar to the modern plate, but representative of its less familiar period flavors.
This recipe indicates that it is for the preservation of the Sweet Potatoes, so I have used modern confectionary technique to determine the level of reduction for the syrup, which should result in low enough water activity to be considered preserved. The acidity from the Bitter Orange juice also contributes. However, I have done this with the intention of still serving the dish within the boundaries of modern food safety. I do not make any claims that this process genuinely preserves the Sweet Potatoes for any length at room temperature.
As mentioned in other recipes, Seville Oranges are difficult to come by in the United States. I recommend using Goya Bitter Orange Marinade in place of Bitter Orange Juice in any recipe. Likewise, Musk is not a popular candy flavor in the USA, but it is in Australia - fortunately for us. You can purchase Musk Candy Flavor online from the Perfumer's Apprentice as of this writing. If it is not available, you could also buy Musk Lifesavers online and crush them to dissolve them into the syrup once the Sweet Potatoes are cooked. I could not, however, advise you on how much would be needed. Add it until the musk can be perceived, but the Rose and Orange are not lost.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Peel the Sweet Potatoes and cut them into 1/2" slices
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Combine the Sugar, Water, Rose Water, Bitter Orange Juice, and Salt in a sauce pan and warm until the sugar has dissolved
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Add the Sweet Potatoes and cook in the syrup until the syrup reaches at least 219°F on a candy thermometer
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Add the Musk Candy Flavor and stir the pot before removing from the heat
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Allow the Sweet Potatoes to cool to safe temperature before serving
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Sprinkle with additional Salt to taste.
I prefer the dish to be both sweet and savory
