The past 2 days have been North Dakota cold, but in Oklahoma. We were up at 3:30 a.m. today, with no power and -15 degrees outside. We are the really lucky ones. A naturally well-insulated log home, plenty of wood ready to burn in a nice fireplace, blankets and good gear.

Depsite panic to the contrary as temps inside and out dropped, the full extent of our “damage” was a frozen hot water line. It eventually thawed out without incident and after two separate visits from the Rural Electric Co-op’s linemen, we were eventually powered up and looking toward the next wave of a truly unprecedented winter storm, in a truly unprecedented pandemic year.

When it finally came time to figure out dinner, we craved normalcy, in all it’s glory. Normal. Comfort food.

It honestly never occurred to me until tonight, that a childhood standby of fried potatoes could be so easily converted to something so much healthier. Just a minor adjustment. Fried potatoes, but with sweet potatoes. Avocado oil instead of lard, bacon grease or crisco. 4 ingredients, total. Simply delicious. And dirt cheap.

Fried Sweet Potatoes

Skillet with a small amount of Avocado Oil (just enough to thinly coat) – I like avocado over olive oil because it can handle hot temperatures better)

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped thin

A good sprinkling Papirka and Cracked Pepper

Cook approx 20 minutes until soft and browning, reducing heat down to a simmer – stir frequently to keep from sitcking. Yum.