Some History

Sweet potato cornbread was one of my first developed recipes on thedanareneeway. It’s an honor to re-debut this gem in my participation in the 2020 Juneteenth Cookout Takeover. This initiative was established to encourage the celebration of Juneteenth – a jubilee of freedom to commemorate the day that enslaved people in Texas were finally informed that they were free—two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed freeing all enslaved people living in states not under Union control.

Although slavery did not completely end until the 13th Amendment was adopted in December, we celebrate Juneteenth by amplifying the food traditions of black culinary creatives. For over 150 years, Black American families, home-cooks, chefs, and culinarians have celebrated the day with a wide range of food traditions that tell a story of the perseverance of a people.

Your Plate is Your Flag

There’s a very powerful quote from Michael Twitty’s award-winning memoir, The Cooking Gene. He says, “There is no chef without a homeland. To be a chef today is to center yourself in the traditions of your roots and use them to define your art and speak to any human being about who you are; your plate is your flag.” This cornbread is my flag. I grew up on cornbread and sweet potatoes, not together—but frequently integrated into my family’s meals. To me, sweet potatoes represent that earthiness and heritage while the cornbread signals comfort and home.

On the Cornbread

There’s not a ton of technique here. This cornbread generally is a quite simple dish. As with any cornbread, the beauty is in the details—the grind of your cornmeal, the richness of your sweet potatoes, and the freshness of your ingredients. First and foremost, I recommend a 9 or 10-inch cast-iron skillet—well seasoned.

Alternatively, you can use a 9-inch non-stick square cake pan. I’ve certainly done that before; in fact, I grew up making cornbread in cake pans, not cast-iron skillets—but I find that for doneness and presentation, the cast-iron works beautifully. A hand mixer will save some stress on your hands, but you can certainly use a hand mixer. With any hand mixer, be.careful not to over mix your batter. An old-fashioned whisk will also do the trick.

Sweet Potatoes

To start, the sweet potatoes are baked in the oven. For the cornmeal, I wish I could tell you I use something fancy, but I don’t. I use the same cornmeal that I grew up one—Indian Head Old Fashioned Stone Ground Cornmeal. It’s not broke, so I’m not fixing it. For those of you using another brand, any finely ground or medium-ground cornmeal will work.