Thursday, November 8, 2007

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes for One (or Two)


I love summer fruits, like berries and peaches, but autumn is by far my favorite time for veggies, particularly the nutritional powerhouses that are root vegetables. I’ve had a couple of sweet potatoes sitting in a bowl on my kitchen counter for a while now and was just too wiped out after work to even think of peeling, chopping, or roasting a thing. Besides their comforting, rich flavor, what’s great about sweet potatoes and some other root veggies is that you can leave them lying around for a while. Unlike that lettuce you have to get to within a week of purchasing or the bananas I refuse to eat after they go brown (another reason Brian and I are meant to be—he’ll eat the brown bananas I would either turn into bread or, more likely, trash).

I finally got around to the sweet potatoes last night. This is so easy, it’s not even cooking. If you can turn a knob and use a spoon, you can make these potatoes. They’re great on their own (that’s how I ate them last night) but would also be even more fantastic dipped in some strong, strained Greek yogurt or some sour cream (dairy or soy-based but I can’t yet endorse any edible plain soy yogurts) spiked with minced garlic or shallots that have been quickly turned in a hot pan of olive oil. These potatoes complement savory barbequed protein sources, like teriyaki tofu or blackened salmon. You could even refrigerate what you don’t eat and have the reheated potatoes with an egg or tofu scramble for a breakfast packed with protein, fiber, and hearty tastiness.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roughly cube one medium, washed, and unpeeled sweet potato and place in a large bowl. To the bowl of potatoes, add 2 teaspoons (tsp) walnut oil (or olive oil), 1 tsp. maple syrup (or brown sugar), 1 tsp. cinnamon, a scant ¼ tsp. nutmeg, ½ tsp. curry powder, and pinch of sea salt (or two pinches of kosher salt). Toss well. Add potatoes to baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil coated with cooking spray and roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, until your kitchen is filled with a yummy, autumn scent of strong spices and the potatoes are browned and, if you’re like me, just a little charred.
Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.

2 comments:

BK said...

I know you just made these, but let's incorporate them with our feast tomorrow evening! They sound awesome, Joselle.

See you soon,

Brian
XOMMXO

Joselle said...

I have quite a few sweet potatoes left so sure, we can make them. They are similar to the ones I made for us several weeks ago but a little sweeter and less curryish.

See you tomorrow! xoxo