Sweet potatoes and I, we didn’t understand each other for a long time. They didn’t make sense to me. I dunno, I guess I feel like if you want potatoes have potatoes and if you want something sweet have fruit. Or chocolate.
When we collectively discovered that sweet potatoes are better for you than regular potatoes they started showing up everywhere. Sweet potato fries, sweet potato tots. Meh. Once you stick something in a deep fryer, do the 2 extra vitamins you get with sweet potatoes really make that much of a difference?
Then I started roasting them in the oven in thick wedges. That’s when I realized: if you treat a sweet potato like a sweet potato (instead of a substitute for something else), there is magic to be had!
The sugar in the potato caramelizes beautifully, giving the wedges a burnt sugar crusty thing. And the inside is totally light and fluffy. The only thing that makes them better is slathering on some mustard to give it some tang and balance out the sweetness a bit. I used Dijon but whole grain would be cool too.
The kids absolutely love them and it goes great with meat loaf, fish sticks, or even as a light main dish. Plus, the they can make them for you. After you cut the potatoes into wedges, have the kids measure out the other ingredients and toss them around. They’ll love it and be more apt to eat anything they’ve help to prepare anyway.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400.
- Cut sweet potatoes into large wedges. Small/medium potatoes into fourths, large maybe eighths. These aren't fries, they're thick, meaty wedges so you can get a nice, thick caramelized crust on the outside and a light, creamy inside.
- Toss potatoes with all other ingredients and spread out in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- Roast for 20-30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until they are soft in the middle.
