Crispy, slightly crunchy, and with just a touch of a bite; this isn’t your marshmallow and brown sugar sweet potato recipe.
Tho’, there is brown sugar involved.
Once I knew I was going to be making the Puerto Rican Pork Roast, I thought it a great time to try out this recipe based on one I got from the big oven app on my iPhone. In truth, it’s not too much different from sweet potato hash, except that this was a tad less fussy to make and, I think, a touch tastier.
INGREDIENTS
•2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (about 6 cups)
•2 tbsp olive or canola oil
•2 tbsp brown sugar
•1 tsp chili powder
•1/2 tsp salt
•1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
•1/2 tsp Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese 7 Spice) – I get mine from The Spice House in Milwaukee, which does mail-order – but if you cannot find any sources in your area, you could try making your own – Wikipedia has what looks to be a good formula – and you can then of course customize the blend to your own spice cabinet and taste.
•Butter
Toss the peeled and cubed potatoes in a zip top plastic bag with the oil, and then with the seasonings. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 400º.
Turn the seasoned sweet potatoes into a well-buttered baking dish – this one measures 11-3/4 x 8-3/4 inches – and pop into the hot oven for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender and with Oh! so tasty browned bits and edges.
BAKING NOTE: I did mine on the bottom rack of the oven along with the pork roast at 350º for about 45 minutes, and I think they turned out perfectly, but you do what you want.
The original recipe suggests drizzling the finished potatoes with a bit of butter, but I chose not to. Next time, tho’, a bit of Aioli, I think.