Sriracha Roasted Sweet Potatoes

18/02/2022

If there’s a sweet potato fan club out there, we’d like to join. The tuber is versatile, healthy and as close as we’ll get to eating candy for dinner. This recipe for roasted sweet potatoes with sriracha and lime—from Amanda Frederickson’s cookbook Simple Beautiful Food—could work as a side dish, a base for meal prep or a light dinner (served with a yoghurt sauce and roasted chickpeas, perhaps).

“The exact roasting time for the sweet potatoes will vary depending on their thickness,” Frederickson writes. And if the sriracha doesn’t seem hot enough, you can add more at the end. “But, be warned,” she says. “The sriracha heat builds over time.”

Magic of Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are a staple food in many parts of the world. They are a good source of fibre, potassium, When did you first decide to let sweet potato slide into your diet, forcing some old buddies out? I know people who did it for the hype of how healthy sweet potatoes are (usually compared to potatoes). It’s higher in fibre, lower in Glycemic Index(half of the potato’s value), and because it was once overlooked, its mauve-orange appearance feels fresh and chic.

How to Shop for Sweet Potato

There is much confusion about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams, but the truth is actually pretty clear-cut. They are not even related. A true yam is a starchy tropical vegetable that is rarely found here, and when they are, they are likely to have been imported from the Caribbean. The two types of sweet potato most commonly found in the market are a yellow-flesh potato with thin, light brown skin and an orange-flesh variety with deep pink-orange skin. Orange-flesh potatoes tend to be denser, sweeter and moister than the yellow-flesh variety, which is drier, milder in flavour and a bit more fibrous.

Sweet potatoes are available year-round but are of the best quality in fall and early winter. Choose sweet potatoes that have smooth skin and are firm and free of soft spots, cracks or bruises.

How to Tell If a Sweet Potato Is Bad

Once you’ve bought your sweet potatoes, be sure it’s still in good condition before eating. If sweet potato is soft or has developed wrinkles, it’s beginning to spoil. Sweet potato may also be bad if the skin’s colour has changed or it’s emitting a rotten odour. In any of these situations, it’s best to toss the sweet potato.

How to cook them right?

Roasting and baking are almost synonyms since they both refer to cooking in the oven, and the only difference lies in the temperature of baking. The idea of roasting is all about creating the crust—browning the surface to make it crispy. It adds texture and layers of flavour, and it’s normally reserved for savoury dishes. But it doesn’t mean you can’t coat it or dress it with syrup or sweet sauces. With roasting, you can make both main dishes, like salad, or snacks, such as dried sweet potatoes. Save baking for hearty desserts and other “unbrowned” dishes.

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, lime juice (save the zest for garnish), salt and sriracha.
Toss the sweet potatoes in the mixture. Roast in a single layer on two sheet pans until fork-tender, 35 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally and rotating the pans halfway through.
Transfer the roasted sweet potatoes to a serving platter. Top with the lime zest and a handful of coarsely chopped fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

We hope that you enjoy this recipe as we do. Share with us your version! Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!

xoxo, Joe