Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse the sweet potatoes, pierce the skin three to four times, wrap tightly in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the potatoes are soft.
Unwrap, cool completely and then peel the potatoes. (Some have a thicker peel with a thin coating on the potato. Make sure to remove both the peel and the coating.)
Mash the potatoes by hand or with a food mill with a coarse mesh and add the nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside.
Blend the cream, milk and brown sugar together in a 3-quart saucepan and heat on medium-low, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and the mixture is hot but not boiling.
Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Temper the yolks by slowly adding 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
Slowly add the egg yolks to the remaining milk mixture in the saucepan, steadily whisking to avoid curdling. Raise the heat to medium, and whisk the custard mix until it thickens slightly, about 6 to 10 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon when it is ready. Do not allow it to boil.
Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
Add the pur�ed sweet potatoes and stir to incorporate evenly.
Add the maple syrup.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours until cold.
Using an ice cream maker, follow the manufacturer�s directions to make the ice cream, and then firm it in the freezer.
* For a grown-up ice cream, omit the maple syrup and add 2 tablespoons dark rum and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups heavy cream
1½ cups whole or 2-percent milk
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
4 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. maple syrup*
This article appears in Oct 1-31, 2008.