I came home from the market the other day and I had bags of acorn squash, butternut squash, parsnips and obviously the sweet potatoes and yams you see here.
When Fall hits, I immediately go into squash and root vegetable mode. It's hard not to. But there is something about yams and sweet potatoes that float my boat. I wonder what it is...oh yeah, it's a potato...my kryptonite.
So I wanted to roast these potatoes, which I could happily eat plain, but the family would want a dipping sauce. I wanted smoke, I wanted sweet and I wanted tang. So I started playing around and came up with something we loved. It had such a good flavor. We had some the next day and it was even better. The flavors had melded together.
This is going to be a staple dish through the Fall.
Medley of Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Yams with Smoky-Sweet Dipping Sauce
5 Medium sweet potatoes and yams, peeled and cut into 3" pieces
Olive Oil
Kosher salt & black pepper
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 T Fry sauce (in every grocery store in the condiment aisle)
1 T fresh Oregano, finely chopped
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder or regular chile powder (chipotle gives the smoky flavor)
1 tsp garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp cayenne
Preheat oven to 4500 F. Place sliced potatoes into a bowl and drizzle with a small amount of olive oil. Use your hands to rub the oil into each piece. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper. Place them on baking tray that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until edges are brown and potatoes are fork tender. (Baking time is really going to depend on your oven.)
While the potatoes are baking, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, Fry sauce, oregano, onion powder, chili powder, garlic, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. (The salt and the pepper are a more personal choice. You may want to taste and add appropriately for your liking, which could be more or less)
Serve the potatoes on a platter with the sauce and enjoy the smiles.
Cathy is currently in the development stages of her vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.