Smokey Sweet Potato Oven Fries
Its Superbowl Sunday, which means snack day! These Smokey Sweet Potato Oven Fries are crispy, smokey, spicy, and sweet: a perfect game day (or any day) snack. We eat them year round, but always appreciate the excuse for a heaping plate.
Yield: Serves 2, we recommend using about 1 sweet potato per person
Ingredients:
Sweet potato fries:
- 2 large sweet potatoes, unpeeled, cut into medium matchsticks (about 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Smoky seasoning salt:
- 1 teaspoon maple sugar (substitute sugar)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- Pinch (1/16 teaspoon) ground cayenne pepper
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 425 and prepare a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or silicon baking mat.
- For the smokey seasoning salt: In a small bowl mix together the maple sugar, salt, chipotle, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne.
- For the sweet potato fries: In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with canola oil. Add cornstarch and toss again to combine, ensuring there are no white granules of cornstarch visible. Add all of the prepared smokey seasoning salt, and toss to combine.
- Spread the sweet potato fries on the baking sheet, making sure they do not overlap to ensure even browning.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, rotating the baking sheet and flipping the fries once during baking. The fries are ready when they are crispy, browned, and no longer have a raw wet looking appearance.
- Allow to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the fries to crisp up. Note that the fries will always be somewhat softer than a typical deep fried french fry.
Rosemary Lemon Roasted Potatoes
The smell of roasting potatoes makes my mouth water every time. These golden brown orbs of puffed potato deliciousness have been my dish of choice this past month. And I think the addition of rosemary and lemon makes the house smell like Sunday dinner. Happy roasting!
Roasted Beet Chips
I always associate beets with the Borscht Soup that my Oma used to make in the fall and winter months. At the time, I don't recall being all that enamored with either the soup, or beets. But now I love them both. We have found that beets are not a vegetable that generates a mild response. Whenever we plan to serve them, we like to first test out the waters to see if our guests are beet-friend or -foe. Beets have a strong earthy flavor that needs some assistance. In their unvarnished form, they are a dusty and lumpy root vegetable, with little to commend by their exterior. But peel a beet and you will find a vibrant, sweet and minerally vegetable, happy to lend color and flavor to drab dishes. Beets and their greens are chock full of vitamins, among them A, B1, B2, B6 and C and are high in calcium, iron and magnesium. Beets respond well to many cooking applications and are delicious in everything from hummus to pickles to juice. I first made these roasted beet chips when I was hankering for some root chips (those incredibly overpriced bags of beet and sweet potato chips at the grocery). It occurred to me that I could make them on my own and instead of deep frying, I thought I’d give beet chips in the oven a go. While Paul was skeptical of my oven technique, it worked beautifully and he sneakily polished off the first batch before our guests arrived!
Potato & Garlic Goat Cheese Gratin
When Paul asked what I wanted for my birthday meal this week, I immediately blurted out 'lots of potatoes!' Paul smirked, ok, so nothing new here. Upon further consideration, I requested a potato dish that was both creamy and crispy, pungent with garlic and goat cheese. This aromatic Potato Goat Cheese Gratin was the magnificent result, which I ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This recipe is adapted from one of our favorite cookbook authors, James Peterson. It forgoes a bechamel or cream sauce since the high starch content of the potatoes eliminates the need for additional thickeners. For a crisp fall day, nothing beats the smell of slow roasting garlic, goat cheese, and potatoes!
Moroccan Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
In a holiday season notorious for sweet potato casseroles topped with marshmallows and candied nuts, we play it unconventional. We love the warm spices and fresh herbs of this Moroccan Roasted Sweet Potato Salad. A fragrant dish with a nod towards North African seasonings, the sweet potatoes are roasted until they are lightly crisped, flavored with an aromatic, garlic, and lemon infused Charmoula vinaigrette, and topped with feta, cilantro and pomegranate. Charmoula is a traditional Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian marinade that is traditionally used in fish and vegetable dishes. Moroccan Roasted Sweet Potato Salad is a winner with guests and an unusual twist on the seasonal sweet potato.
Sweet Potato, Chili & Lime Soup
Think of this Sweet Potato, Chili and Lime Soup as a sweeter tortilla soup, a spicier butternut bisque, or a limey chowder. This silky textured soup eats like a hearty cream soup gone funky with chili and lime. Given the natural richness of the sweet potatoes, we found that sour cream, lime, cilantro and tortilla strips are a must for both flavor and textural contrast. Our soon-to-be brother-in-law had the inspired idea of adding a dollop of Chimichurri Sauce to the soup, he was right, it’s a winner! Serve with some homemade bread and a bright beet salad, and you have yourself a colorful and light winter meal. This recipe is adapted from James Peterson.
