Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lime Syrup and Chives

When I want to learn about different ingredients, I go to Wikipedia. You can literally type in anything and it will pull up the whole rundown. You can even type in different methods of cooking, like braising and roasting.

When I bought these sweet potatoes at the store, I was surprised that they weren't the typical orange that I am familiar with. So to Wikipedia I went. I was able to learn that there are a few varieties of sweet potatoes. The ones I got are light-skinned sweet potatoes.

So I peeled, chopped, dressed and roasted. Then I made the syrup by juicing, stirring and boiling. Then I garnished by zesting and chopping. These little delights were addicting. And they were even better the day after. The sugars in the potatoes did something magical overnight and the potatoes were so sweet. I also put some of these in the baby food grinder and Van ate these right up.

photo by Ashley Thalman

Speaking of Van, let me formally introduce you to him. Van is blond and round. He has dimples and an extraordinarily large mouth. He is my perfect child. When he wakes up to eat at night, Ethan and I often find ourselves playing with him and loving him up instead of putting him back to bed. And the little sweet potato doesn't even mind our gross night-time breath.

Last weekend, Van tried to kill me and Ethan. He had a double ear infection and we had one heck of a sleepless night. He was up all night crying and the weird part is that I wasn't even mad at him. I actually felt bad for the poor little thing. Imagine that! Motherhood is a funny thing. I don't like anyone else's kids keeping me up all night, but I don't mind Van keeping me up. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again:)



3 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
A small handful of chives, finely chopped

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and set oven to 450°F.

Toss potatoes with butter, salt, and pepper in a bowl until coated well, then spread in 1 layer in 2 shallow baking pans (15 x 10 x 1 inch) and roast, uncovered, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until potatoes are tender and undersides are browned, 15 to 20 minutes total.

While potatoes roast, bring water, sugar, and lime juice to a boil in a very small saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then simmer until reduced to about 3 tablespoons, 3 to 4 minutes. Toss potatoes with syrup and zest in a large bowl, then sprinkle with chives.

Rookie's Notes: Next time I make these, I am going to double the syrup. It is just too darn good.

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