Crispy (Sweet) Potato Roast

Let’s talk about sweet potatoes for a minute.

I grew up hating sweet potatoes. I thought they were smelly, mushy, and gross. As I got older and the sweet potato fry trend started to boom here I decided to try them again. Everything is good fried, right? And of course sweet potatoes are no different. I wondered why they seemed so much firmer, milder, and tasty prepared that way and eventually had a revelation. I’m pretty sure the only way I was ever served sweet potatoes as a child looked like this:

Check out that marshmallow topping.

Image

Of course I thought sweet potatoes looked and tasted like a can. The only way I’d ever had them was from a can! That picture actually looks way better than any sweet potato casserole I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t until I started reading blogs that I realized I could probably make sweet potatoes for myself and ventured into the baked sweet potato fry world.

Then a few weeks ago a friend of mine pinned a recipe called Crispy Potato Roast. I knew I wanted to try it, but with sweet potatoes.

Lookin' sweet, little potatoes.

I peeled four large sweet potatoes and sliced them into thin disks. The recipe suggests using a mandoline and if you have one I encourage you to use it. Hand slicing took me longer than I was expecting and my slices weren’t uniform, which really only mattered visually, but they were also a little thicker so they didn’t get quite as “crispy” as I’d hoped.

I brushed my baking dish with a butter, olive oil, and spice mix then arranged the slices in the dish. I brushed half the butter mixture over the top and then popped everything into the oven at 375 degrees for one hour.

I tried to make it look as pretty as Martha's.

At the end of one hour I checked and it was looking a little dry so I brushed on the rest of the butter mixture and let it cook for another 30 minutes.

I love the pieces with the super crispy edges!

The result was absolutely delicious. The top edges of the slices were crispy and caramelized and the insides were soft and almost creamy. It definitely wasn’t mushy and most certainly did not taste like anything that comes from a can.

Topped with a little extra seasoning before serving.

This recipe was a little bit time consuming because of the slicing and baking time but it was definitely worth it. My roommate (who agreed it was delicious) and I had our baked sweet potato roast with buffalo tempeh wings (recipe coming up next!) and it was a fun twist on the wings and fries idea.

If you aren’t a sweet potato lover I suggest you give this recipe a try. You might become a convert, and if you do let me know how it goes!

Recipe

4 large sweet potatoes
3 T butter
3 T EVOO
1 t spice mix (recipe to follow)

Peel sweet potatoes and slice into thin rounds using a sharp knife or mandoline. Melt butter in a small bowl and mix with olive oil and spice mix. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch baking dish with butter mixture. Layer sweet potatoes into the dish and brush with half of the remaining butter mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, brush with remaining butter mixture, and bake again for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with more spice mix to taste before serving. Enjoy!

Spice mix (Recipe taken from here. This stuff is seriously amazing and it goes great on anything. Make a bunch and keep it around. It’s delicious!)

2 T salt
2 T garlic powder
1 T black pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T cayenne
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried thyme

xoxo
Felicia

• Are there veggies you grew up hating that now you like or even love?
• Are there any veggies you still can’t stand?