Vivian Howard’s Sweet Potatoes on Steroids | Video

By: Maggie Ward

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VVivian Howard has always had a gift for turning the flavors of the South into something both deeply familiar and refreshingly new. The James Beard-nominated chef first won acclaim with Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina, where she became known for honoring local traditions while daring to push boundaries. Howard is once again expanding her culinary world with her newest restaurant, Theodosia, set in Duck, North Carolina. The restaurant reflects her evolution as a chef and storyteller—an intimate space where dishes carry the imprint of the coastal landscape, Southern memory, and Howard’s signature knack for hospitality.

Her storytelling doesn’t stop at the table. Howard is also returning to television with a new show, Kitchen Curious, premiering on PBS this October, that continues her mission of exploring foodways through the lens of community and culture. Just as she once invited audiences into her kitchen and her hometown in A Chef’s Life, the new series promises to weave together recipes, regional voices, and Howard’s own warm perspective. It’s a natural extension of the way she approaches food as both sustenance and narrative.

In the video, Howard prepares a dish she calls Sweet Potato on Steroids, a recipe that feels like a love letter to her home region of Eastern North Carolina—the world’s largest sweet potato producer. She begins with the sweet potato, roasting it whole until the flesh yields easily to a knife. She scoops out the interior, mixing it with grated fresh ginger, butter, brown sugar, a dash of salt, and the unexpected brightness of orange zest and juice before tucking it back into its skin for a second bake.

But the real treat lies in the toppings. Howard layers sautéed greens (kale gently wilted in bacon fat) on top of the sweet potato, then adds a pecan-cranberry relish built from butter-browned leeks, toasted nuts, and chewy bursts of dried fruit. She insists this relish is not to be skimped on, calling it the essential crunch and sweetness that makes the dish sing. Finally, she finishes with a warm maple vinaigrette, a glossy balance of bacon drippings, cider vinegar, maple syrup, and soft shallots, poured generously over the potato and garnishes.

The result is a dish that transcends its simple ingredients: sweet, savory, tart, and deeply satisfying. Like Howard herself, it bridges tradition and innovation. With Theodosia opening its doors in the Outer Banks and a new TV show on the horizon, Howard’s Sweet Potato on Steroids recipe feels like both a personal emblem and a promise of what’s to come.

Video by Jonathan Boncek and Jack McAlister | Produced by Maggie Ward

Make the recipe: Sweet Potatoes on Steroids

yields

Serves 4

For the sweet potatoes:

4 medium sweet potatoes (roasted in their jackets)
4 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated on a microplane
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Zest and juice of 2 oranges, zest removed with a microplane
4 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the greens:

8 slices bacon
1 pound spinach, kale, arugula, turnip, or other quick cooking green
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

For the pecan cranberry relish:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
⅓ cup dried cranberries
⅓ cup leeks sliced thin, white parts only
¼ teaspoon salt

For the maple vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup red onion, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup maple syrup

steps

Stuff the potatoes: Split the sweet potatoes open and scoop out the roasted flesh taking care to keep the skin intact. In a medium bowl, mix the sweet potato flesh with the remaining ingredients. Stuff that mixture back into the skins.
Prepare the greens: In a large saute pan or skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside. In the reserved bacon fat, wilt the greens with the salt and black pepper.
Make the relish: In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the pecans and toast for about two minutes, but watch closely and stir often to prevent them from burning. Add the cranberries, leeks, and salt. Continue to saute for two minutes. Keep warm.
Make the vinaigrette: In a small saucepan, sweat the red onion with the salt and butter until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the black pepper, nutmeg, cider vinegar, and maple syrup. Bring up to a boil and reduce by half. Keep warm.
Serve: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the stuffed sweet potatoes for about 25 minutes. Top each potato with a mound of greens, a good sprinkle of relish, and a generous drizzle of the warm vinaigrette. Serve immediately.