Purple Sweet Potato Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

1. 1

   Combine the diced sweet potatoes, milk, split vanilla bean, and scraped vanilla seeds in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a knife -- about 10 to 12 minutes.

2. 2

   Combine the cream and salt in a large bowl and beat until smooth.

3. 3

   Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

4. 4

   Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the split vanilla bean, then puree the mixture in the saucepan with an immersion blender (or transfer contents to a blender or food processor, blend, and return to the pan).

5. 5

   Add the heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup to the potato and milk puree. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, boil for 4 minutes, then remove from the heat. (Keep your eye on the mixture while it's boiling, if you don't pay attention, you might find it boils over quite easily.)

6. 6

   Gradually whisk the hot mixture into the cream cheese and salt blend until smooth.

7. 7

   Pour the mixture into a large zip-top freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice water bath until cool (adding more ice if necessary) -- this should be about 30 minutes.

8. 8

   Pour the cooled mixture into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

9. 9

   Grab a spoon and eat the soft-serve straight out of the frozen canister, double-dipping like no one is watching. Or, if you have restraint, put the ice cream into a freezer-safe storage container and freeze until firm. It will become very firm once frozen, so place it on the counter to warm up a bit before scooping -- the texture won't be compromised, promise!

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.