Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Hello, dear reader. Today I have a simple sweet potato side dish to share with you, the Spiced Sweet Potatoes. I had leftover Easy Tuna Pasta from yesterday and so I thought of making this dish. This meal idea for lunch wasn't meal planned but it just happened because I had sweet potatoes in the fridge and I've decided to cook them as a side dish. It's perfect as a side dish also to our Pork Chop with Apple and Rosemary Stuffing or as part of a garden salad, a vegetarian salad, or as a snack.

The process of cooking includes boiling the potatoes before cooking them in the oven. As oven temperatures vary (my oven takes ages in baking potatoes), I found that boiling the potatoes initially can ensure well-cooked potatoes in lesser time. You can also note how long you can finish cooking this in the oven the first time you make Spiced Sweet Potatoes so next time you will have a better idea on how long to cook this dish.

My meal planning tip for you is to make a double batch of the spice mix, and keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge to use for next time. 

                                                   Recipe: Spiced Sweet Potatoes 

Serves: 4

Total Cooking time: 42-45 minutes 

Author: Christine Strasser 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sweet potato, peeled in half then cut into 1 cm slices

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Spice mix:  Use your desired quantity of this spice mix:

        1/2 tsp sweet paprika

        1/2 tsp cumin

        1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

        1/4 tsp. garlic powder

                1/2 tsp. garlic salt

                freshly ground black pepper (to season)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celcius.

2. Peel the potatoes and cut it lengthwise in the center. Cut each half to 1 cm slices or bite slices.

3. In a medium pot, boil the potatoes with enough water to cover them. Put a 1/2 tsp. of salt in the pot and boil the potatoes for 12 minutes.

4. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large dish lined with paper towel to absorb their extra moisture.

5. Prepare the oven tray by lining it with baking paper. Gently place the boiled potatoes on it, in a single layer.

6. In a small bowl, mix the spices.

7. Drizzle oil on the potatoes then sprinkle the desired quantity of mixed spices on them.

8. Arrange the sweet potatoes in a single layer in an oven tray lined with baking paper.

9. Brush the olive oil on top of the potatoes.

10. Sprinkle as much of the spice mix on the sweet potatoes as desired.

11. Season with black pepper and more salt if needed then place in the oven for 30 minutes.

12. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. You may also cool it down and use it in a vegetarian salad.