A simple side dish for a feast or just family dinner – step away from the brown sugar and marshmallows and embrace the goodness that be sweet potatoes and parsnips – you know, the stuff that looks like an albino carrot.
Maple syrup and pepper jelly add that little sumpin’-sumpin’ extra. I had this tasty jar o’ jam left over from a gift basket, but if you look around your local specialty or farmers’ market, you should be able to find a variety of the spicy-sweet jellied goods; my favorite is from Lollipop Tree, who make a bright red jelly with bits of pepper flakes floating through.
Go ahead and buy the ‘hot’ – it’s usually not too, too spicy, and whatever bit of heat does come through will be a pleasant surprise.
INGREDIENTS
•2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
•3 or 4 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
•1/2 cup maple syrup
•1/4 to 1/2 cup pepper jelly or jam
•Olive oil
•Salt and pepper
Heat oven to 400°.
Toss the sweet potatoes and parsnips with a bit of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and pop into the oven for 30 to 45 minutes.
Combine the pepper jelly with the maple syrup and stir into the nicely browned, roasted potato and parsnip mixture. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and watching so they don’t get too black.
Nice. And the cooking time and temps work perfectly along side a batch of the Best! roasted brussels sprouts – with or without the balsamic vinegar, make your sprouts this way once and you’ll never go back to boiled or steamed.