Fall is in the air! Well, not in Central Florida, here it is currently 95° F and very humid. However, every once in a while, in the afternoon, I feel a cool breeze that tells me we have made it over the hottest part of the year hump, and we have cooler temperatures to look forward to. This means that we can go ahead and turn on our ovens and get to baking and roasting without feeling like we are living on the surface of the Sun. Also, Fall is the season of root vegetables, my favorite of which is the sweet potato. It took me about 26 years to figure out I actually love sweet potatoes. No, I am not interested in trying them in a casserole full of sugar, but I love them simply tossed in a little olive oil with whatever herbs and spices we happen to have on hand. This recipe lends itself very well to experimentation. Try adding a bit of oregano, or some chipotle powder. The world is your oyster.
Ingredients
- two medium sweet potatoes, skins on, scrubbed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- two tablespoons olive oil
- dried basil, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder, kosher salt, ground black pepper, Magic Dust, Adobo, etc. to taste (you will probably use between 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon each)
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Place the sweet potato chunks in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat. Add whatever herbs and spices you feel like. The idea is to almost cover the sweet potatoes. Keep an eye on the salt and garlic content; a lot of times the mixed seasonings will have salt and garlic powder as main ingredients. Place the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Roast until the sweet potatoes are tender and starting to brown, about 40 minutes. You can “flip” the potatoes halfway through the cooking time.
© Photo by author.
