We strive to bring you a delicious pairing with every cocktail we present, and this time we have worked overtime in our test kitchen to bring you something simple, bite-sized and delicious — sweet potato crisps. You can serve them two ways: in a bowl imbued with our sweet spices, or as an amuse bouche dolloped with spiced goat cheese, pomegranate pips, and little wisps of orange or tangelo zest. Your guests may never stop nibbling.

Although this recipe does not call for a garnish, feel free to drop a maraschino cherry, or perhaps a lime wheel, into your glass for an added effect.

The recipe:

1 1/2 ounces straight rye whiskey

3/4 ounce sweet vermouth

3/4 ounce triple sec

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Shake ingredients for 30 seconds in an ice-filled shaker. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Clove and nutmeg bring out the natural sugars in sweet potatoes. Add a little freshly ground white pepper to bring out the potatoes’ more savory profile.

The recipe:

Basic Crisps

1 thin sweet potato

canola oil

Fill stovetop pot with canola oil, deep enough for frying. Slice sweet potato (using a mandoline) into 1/8in-thick rounds. When the oil is heated between 350°– 380°F, lower the rounds into the oil using a slotted spoon. When the rounds start to darken and look crispy, remove them from the oil and drain on a paper towel–lined plate. (If the first few crisps cook too quickly and burn, turn the flame down a little.)

Seasoned Crisps:

After the crisps have sat for a couple of minutes, add them to a brown paper bag (or a baggie, but let them cool a bit longer). Add the following spices to the bag:

1/4 tsp ground clove

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp white pepper, freshly ground

1 tsp packed brown sugar (light or dark), or 3/4 tsp regular sugar

Shake the bag gingerly, so as not to break the crisps, but long enough for the sugar and spices to coat the crisps as evenly as possible.

Serve immediately in a bowl.

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Crisps with Goat Cheese:

With a little extra effort, and a few more ingredients, you can turn the unseasoned basic crisps into a beautiful and delicious amuse bouche.

To begin, mix the following in a small bowl:

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground clove

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp white pepper, freshly ground

Dollop each crisp with about 1/2 tsp of the mixture. Top with 3–5 pomegranate pips and a wisp or two of orange or tangelo zest. Serve immediately on a tray or plate.

Watch Paul make The Oriental cocktail and Steve prepare two appetizers for sweet potato crisps. (Click ► to play.)

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