By Mid-April. The initial rush of publication is settling into a steadier rhythm — the reviews are mostly in, the events are tapering, the book is finding its long-term readership, the people who will discover it in a year or five years or ten years, the slow readers, the methodical readers, the readers who find books not through algorithms but through the recommendations of friends who cook. The slow discovery is the right discovery for this book, because the book is about slowness — slow dashi, slow grief, slow healing, slow practice.
I made Fumiko's nimono — simmered vegetables, the slow comfort food — and the making was not celebratory but daily, ordinary, the return to the practice after the performance of publication. The practice does not care about publication. The practice cares about the kombu and the dashi and the kabocha cut into irregular pieces. The practice is the ground floor. The publication is the penthouse. Both are in the same building. But I live on the ground floor, and the ground floor is where the kitchen is.
I got a letter — a physical letter, mailed to my publisher and forwarded to me — from Ken. The letter was three sentences: "Dear Jen. I read the book. I am proud of you. — Dad." Three sentences. Three sentences from a man who has spoken in silences his entire life. Three sentences that required, I am certain, more courage than anything Ken Nakamura has ever done, because Ken Nakamura does not write letters and does not say "I am proud of you" and does not sign anything "Dad" instead of "Ken." The letter is three sentences and it is the longest thing Ken has ever written to me and it is the most important piece of mail I have ever received and it is on the refrigerator now, next to Miya's cards, next to the eighty-year-old woman's letter about dashi, the gallery of evidence that the practice matters, that the words land, that the love travels.
The nimono had already done its work — the kabocha simmered, the dashi absorbed, the practice returned to its daily self — and what I wanted next was something even simpler, something that asked almost nothing of me while I sat with Ken’s letter still warm in my hands. Sweet potatoes have always felt like kabocha’s quieter American cousin: sweet, soft, the color of slow autumn light, the kind of food that comforts without announcing itself. This recipe is the ground floor version of comfort — no ceremony, no performance, just something honest and warm on a plate while the most important piece of mail I’ve ever received dries on the refrigerator door.
Microwave Sweet Potatoes with Cream Cheese Topping
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 8 oz each), scrubbed clean
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- Fresh chives or green onion tops, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Pierce the potatoes. Use a fork to pierce each sweet potato 6–8 times all over. This allows steam to escape during cooking and prevents splitting.
- Microwave. Place both sweet potatoes on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, then flip each potato and microwave for an additional 3–5 minutes, until a fork slides easily into the thickest part. Timing will vary by microwave wattage and potato size.
- Rest. Let the potatoes rest for 2 minutes uncovered — they will continue to soften slightly as they sit.
- Make the cream cheese topping. While the potatoes rest, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, sour cream, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Split and top. Slice each potato lengthwise down the center, then press the ends gently inward to open it up. Fluff the interior slightly with a fork. Spoon a generous dollop of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each potato.
- Finish and serve. Top with chopped pecans or walnuts if using, and garnish with fresh chives or green onion. Serve immediately while the topping is just beginning to melt into the potato.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 210mg