http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2013/dec/16/266141/

If you’ve been following this space for some time now, you will have noticed that I’m a seasonal eater, probably to a fault.

I’ve probably averaged a sweet potato per day since they started showing up locally months ago. Which means right about now is when my husband glares at the potato peeler with the sort of disdain he usually reserves for turnips and parsnips.

“So, this is when you make me hate sweet potatoes,” is what he said the other night.

Yep, I run those spuds and other cold weather delights–butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, etc.–into the ground for months. And months.

But seasonal goodies are too healthy and too cheap not to enjoy until the prices shoot up and the selection peters out.

My guess is, even if you’re hard core about trying to eat with the calendar, you get a little worn out of your faves after a few months, too. Totally understandable. Hey, it even happens to me sometimes (though, as I’ve discussed before, I’m a rut person. Repeat meals do not bother me).

So, I’ve been trying to think of ways of spicing up that favorite seasonal spud. My top pairings for punching up those everyday yams:

1. Sriracha. Everything tastes better with a dash of the red stuff. This is a personal favorite of my husband’s. He uses the spicy sauce on pretty much any vegetable that he doesn’t like or is sick of eating.

2. Cinnamon-flavored almond butter. Yes, this sounds weird. But I came to love the yam/flavored almond butter combo last year. If you have cinnamon or maple-flavored almond butter lying around, drizzle a bit on a potato. You could also add a hint of maple syrup, just to make it extra sweet. It’s kind of like pie in a bowl.

3. Cumin. Like Sriracha, cumin will add punch to pretty much anything. Sprinkle it while your potatoes are still warm, but use a VERY light hand. You can always add more, but too much is really hard to undo.

4. Hummus. I love adding hummus and a tad of Dijon to salads I made from baby spinach, roasted sweet potatoes and a bit of avocado.

5. Use it as a base. As I mentioned the other week, sweet potatoes make a great, hearty base for stew-y things like curry, Indian food, even just regular old vegetable soup.