And Now, For Something Completely Different...Well, Almost...

Good evening everyone! It might come as a surprise to everyone, but I cannot recall if I've ever had sweet potatoes until I met Tyler. Now that Thanksgiving is in full swing, we are delving right into that delicious goodness of sweet potatoes.


It's typical to have sweet potatoes matched with something, well, sweet.  Sweet potatoes have a natural sweetness that is almost nuetrally sweet - this lends the dish to be a good companion to any super sweet addition and in turn creates a great blending of sweet but not too sweet. We are all familiar with the dish that involves marshmallows, usually roasted on top of the potatoes. On Monday, we paired sweet potatoes with brown sugar and cinnamon. Tonight, I'm keeping the sweet tradition alive. By using a roasting method with a saccharin accessory, the results should be predictable, yet totally delicious.


The Recipe: Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Original Recipe Found In: www.eatingwell.com


What You'll Need:

2 1/2 Pounds Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces - about 8 cups)
1/3 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Salt


Begin by preheating an oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange the cut sweet potatoes in an even layer in a 9x13 in glass baking dish.  Combine the maple syrup, butter, lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl.  Carefully pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes, toss to coat.

Ready to be coated potatoes.

It's hard to see, but the potatoes have a nice coat of maple syrup.

Sure, the majority of us who love sweet potatoes know that these tubers are extremely tasty, but did you know they are a super food?  They pack a punch of Vitamins A and C, which have loads of antioxidants which prevent the damage of cells.  They are good for stomach ulcers and inflammation of the colon.  They are beneficial for low blood pressure and may be helpful for hemorrhoids.  Sweet potatoes are also good for those who have high physical activity during the day, because of all the high content of vitamins and minerals.  They are also good for those who are diabetic, because it helps stabilize blood sugar.  Also, because we are adding a fat to our potatoes (butter and syrup,) the nutrients in the potatoes can be better absorbed by the body.  With all these reasons, why not enjoy and love sweet potatoes??

Cover and bake the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes.  Uncover the baking dish, stir, and cook, stirring every fifteen minutes, until tender and starting to brown, 45-50 minutes more.  Serve and enjoy!

After 45 minutes of roasting

The End Result:

The maple syrup adds a nice depth of sweetness, not a blanket of sweetness.  I think the adding the salt made this possible.  Adding a little salt to an overly sweet dish will not only enhance the flavor, but make it incredibly deep.  Roasting the potatoes gave them a nice soft texture that we are accustomed to in sweet potato dishes.  Overall, a very tasty sweet potato dish that is not only easy, but appealing to the taste buds.


Tyler takes to the kitchen tomorrow as he whips up another Thanksgiving side dish.  Until then,


~Cheers!