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Gluten Free Vegetarian

Simple Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

If you’re looking for a simple, quick and tasty side dish, look no further. This past Canadian Thanksgiving I teased these oven roasted sweet potatoes on Instagram and there were many requests for the recipe. So here we go.

3 1/2 – 4 lbs sweet potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon roasted garlic + herb blend
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon paprika (smoked/sweet)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Notes! May I suggest you follow along with the video below as much more about the recipe is discussed there. If making this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary restrictions.

You have the option to peel the sweet potatoes, however I find that I get better results if I give them a good scrub, then cut them into equal size pieces so they roast evenly. Basically skin on.

In a bowl whisk everything (except the potatoes) until combined.

Place the clean/cut potatoes in a baking dish, then pour the liquid over the sweet potatoes and mix well to coat. Preheat your oven to 400 F.

Place on the middle rack uncovered. After 15 minutes, remove and stir/toss and continue roasting.

Roast for another 15-20 minutes (depending on how large you cut the pieces) and get ready to serve. You may finish with a tiny bit of finishing salt or as mentioned in the video, some chopped parsley, rosemary and/or thyme.

In the video I shared a tip on how to check to see if the sweet potatoes are fully roasted (tender).

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Easy Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipe.

As a lil fella growing up in the Caribbean I recall sweet potatoes being used in two primary ways. Boiled and served as a side with Sunday lunch (biggest meal of the week in Trinidad and Tobago) and as part of the ‘ground provision’ team in our rich, thick and delicious soups. Over the years (as an adult) this herb roasted sweet potato has been a regular guest on our dinner table.

3-4 lbs sweet potato
3-4 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (use your fav salt)
3/4 tablespoon pepper flakes
1 tablespoon chopped Rosemary
4 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
4 large shallots (cut in 1/2)
3 small cloves garlic (crushed)
2 scallions (chopped)

Notes. If making this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet your specific gluten free dietary requirements. May I suggest you follow along with the video below, as much more about the recipe is discussed there. Including which sweet potatoes I used and how to prepare them for roasting.

Peel, cube (large chunks) and wash the sweet potatoes. Try your best to cut them in uniform a size, so they roast evenly. Drain dry then season. Cut the shallots in half.

While I’m not a huge fan of Rosemary, it’s excellent with roasted sweet potatoes.

In a large bowl mix everything with the sweet potatoes, except the scallions. That we’ll add at the end. Should you have chives, I’d say use that at the end instead of the chopped scallion (spring onion, green onion).

You may want to leave out the pepper flakes if you don’t like the gentle heat it will add to the dish, or if you’re serving this to little ones.

Set your oven to 400F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper, before spreading the now seasoned sweet potatoes on a single layer. Onto the middle rack and roast for 15 minutes.

It’s time to flip the pieces of potato so they roast off evenly. Back into the oven for another 20-25 minutes.

As you take them out of the oven, top with the chopped scallions (or chives) and enjoy. You may also sprinkle on a tiny bit of sea salt (any finishing salt you like). As discussed in the video, I didn’t add any brown sugar or honey as I wanted the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes to shine. However you can always add either should you wish.

Seafood

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes Recipe.

If you’ve priced or purchased crab meat from the fish market or grocers you’d know how expensive the stuff can be, so making crab cakes can be a bit hard on your pocket. My love for crab cakes is deep, so I came up with this recipe for using canned crab meat which is very inexpensive. With the fresh herbs, the slight kick from the finely diced scotch bonnet pepper and sweet (and creamy) undertones of the sweet potato, you’ll be quite pleased by these budget friendly crab cakes.

You’ll Need…

1 can crab meat (120g)
pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lb sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsely
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (diced finely) – no seeds
1 scallion diced
1 cup veg oil for frying

Notes: You can use 1 egg to bind everything if you find the batter is overly wet or soggy. Remember to drain and squeeze the crab to get rid of water and please don’t don’t use immitation crab nor expensive lump crab.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes in half, then boil in salted water until tender. To know if they are fully cooked, pierce with a pairing knife and if there’s no resistance it means they’re cooked. Drain and mash in a deep bowl. As the mashed sweet potato cools, you can finely dice/chop the other ingredients.

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It should be cool now, so go in with all the ingredients, except the crab meat and bread crumbs… mix well.

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Fold in the crab meat, then chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes so everything firms up a bit. Now roll into balls (golf ball size), after-which you’ll need to roll the balls in the bread crumbs, pressing down gently so the crumbs hold on.

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Heat the vegetable oil on medium (olive oil will give it a good flavor as well) in a wide pan, then press down on each crab cake ball to form a sort of patty.

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All you have to do now is fry them on each side until golden brown, drain on paper towels and enjoy!

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I would suggest that after forming the patties that you place them in the fridge to chill and firm up a bit so they hold their shape while frying. These sweet potato crab cakes goes well with the garlic sauce I shared a while back or you can opt for  a ranch dressing you’d normally get at the supermarket.