In Senegal at the Keur Moussa monastery, a typical meal includes poulet mafé, a thick peanut sauce with chicken, root vegetables, and cabbage served over rice, fonio, or millet couscous. For chef Pierre Thiam, poulet mafé is the ultimate comfort food. His advice: “Be patient when cooking mafé. Let the stew simmer slowly until the oil rises to the surface.” Creamy peanut butter adds body and nuttiness to this savory chicken dish, balancing the aromatic ginger, garlic, and tomato paste. Thiam’s version uses fish sauce, which brings a subtle umami that adds complexity to the stew.

Sub soy sauce, tamari or Worcestershire sauce for fish sauce. Chop up a whole chicken.

Serves 4-6

foodandwine.com

INGREDIENTS
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
Pinch of kosher salt, plus more to taste
Pinch of black pepper
1 pound bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 pound chicken drumsticks, skin removed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
¼ cup fish sauce (such as Red Boat)
7 cups water
1 cup unsweetened creamy peanut butter (such as Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter), well stirred
8 ounces green cabbage, cored and cut into 2-inch wedges
3 medium carrots, cut into 2-inch-long pieces
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces
1 medium-size sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces
Sliced fresh Scotch bonnet chiles, to taste (optional)
Cooked white rice, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Stir together garlic, ginger, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken; press garlic mixture into chicken pieces. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high until oil shimmers. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until onion starts to become translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and fish sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until combined and tomato paste caramelizes and turns a few shades darker, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 7 cups water, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven. Add chicken and any remaining garlic mixture in bowl to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Place peanut butter in a medium-size heatproof bowl; stir in 1 1/2 cups liquid from Dutch oven, 1/4 cup at a time, until peanut butter is thinned out and mixture is creamy. Add to mixture in Dutch oven; bring to a vigorous simmer over medium-low. Simmer, undisturbed, 20 minutes.

Stir cabbage and carrots into mixture in Dutch oven; return to a vigorous simmer over medium-low. Simmer, undisturbed, 10 minutes.

Stir potato and sweet potato pieces into mixture in Dutch oven; return to a vigorous simmer over medium-low. Simmer, undisturbed, until chicken and vegetables are tender and oil has separated from thickened sauce, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Scotch bonnet chiles, if using, and season with salt to taste. Serve over rice.

This warm sweet potato salad from Deliciously Ella makes eating peanut butter everyday easy. Add optional chopped radicchio, for crunch.

Serves 4 as a side

food52.com

INGREDIENTS
For the Salad:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 handful of parsley, chopped
1 1/2 ounces dates, pitted and chopped
1 tablespoon (heaped) black sesame seeds (white sesame seeds also work—you’ll just need to toast them)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 handful of peanuts, chopped and toasted, for serving (optional)
1 handful chopped radicchio for serving (optional)

For the Dressing:
2 tablespoons date syrup or maple syrup
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 lemon, juiced (you’ll use the juice)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Place the sweet potatoes in a large baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil, add the spices and some salt and pepper and mix well, ensuring everything gets coated. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until they’re really soft.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, make the dressing, whisking everything with some salt until smooth.

Next, place the parsley and dates in a large bowl with the sesame seeds. Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, add them to the bowl with the dressing and mix everything together. Sprinkle with toasted peanuts, if using, serve and enjoy.