Thursday, November 27, 2008

Stay Classy

Sweet Potatoes, the classiest of all potatoes, are one of my favorite root vegetables. Sweet Potatoes make the list of super foods for their delicious flavor and health benefits. When cooking them, I enjoy keeping the recipe simple using ingredients that enhance their natural sweetness. In the below recipe they are peeled and sliced into 3/4'' medallions. Almost like a fine steak, I only season them with salt, pepper and, my little kicker, Almond Oil. The salt brings out the sweetness and the almond oil is a nice compliment to the roasted flavor once they emerge from the oven. This dish is not only great for your health, providing omega 3's and loads of beta carotene, but also warms the soul!

Sweet Potatoes with Almond Oil
6 medium sweet potatoes - ends trimmed, peeled, rinsed and cut into 3/4'' rounds
3 tbsp Almond Oil
1 tbsp Coarse Sea Salt
1 tsp White Pepper
1/4 cup chopped Roasted Almonds (walnuts or pecans) to top it off

In a large bowl, toss the sweet potato rounds in the Almond Oil, Sea Salt and White Pepper. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place on the middle oven rack in a cold oven. Turn oven on to 425F and cook potatoes for 30 minutes.

Remove top layer of foil and return sweet potatoes to oven. Cook until the bottom edges brown up nicely, this will take around 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip the slices over. Continue to roast until golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Transfer to your favorite platter and serve those hungry people!

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