Sweet and Salty Curry Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Avocado

The Midwest is a potluck kind of place, even for family gatherings during the holidays. It’s very rare that the person hosting makes all the food, or that it’s a sit down meal. More traditionally, give or take 7 casseroles, a large carved meat of sort, traditional Scandinavian or German dishes (like lefse or pickled herring), and several pans of bars, cakes, and some fruit “fluff”.

And then there’s me. The oddball bringing something a little different, not in any way fancy, just not the norm of what they’re used to eating. That could be anything from these crispy, crusty {white!} sweet potatoes, caramelized garlic carrots, or wild rice with roasted cauliflower & grapes, which is what I brought to Thanksgiving. And 3 people out of 28 took a spoonful.

I’m used to it – it’s okay, really. I’ve had to learn it’s not a judgment towards me, nor does it mean that the food isn’t good. And even if just a few of them end up trying something new, that’s a win in my books. Plus, more leftovers for me.

These Salty Sweet Curry Roasted Sweet Potatoes are what I’m making for our Christmas Eve gathering, and I’m head over heels with the textures and flavor. The beauty of this recipe is there are so few ingredients, yet so many dimensions. They’re also a great side dish to Peruvian Beef Stew.

The salt and sugar (just a bit, to help make the crust) are balanced by the warm spices in the curry powder, and a pinch of cayenne squeaks in at the end. The creamy avocado, with it’s vibrant green color, ties it all together, one of my favorite combinations.  

Side note, have you cooked with white sweet potatoes? (And you can you find them at any Whole Foods or coop.) They’re a bit drier than the orange ones, and a touch less sweet, which I prefer. Because they don’t have as much moisture, they caramelize beautifully in the oven.

The other key to the golden caramelized coat is roasting at relatively high heat, 400 degrees, with olive oil as the coating for the crust to adhere to. Yes, olive oil is perfectly fine to use at that high of heat contrary to those who’ve told you “no, never”. They’re wrong. This myth has gone around for years, mostly because many olive oils are actually blended (so not strictly OO, fraudulent) and refined, which will start to degrade in heat faster than their unrefined counterparts, and is more susceptible to oxidation (those are the ones with the low smoke point).

But when you use a high quality extra virgin olive oil, like California Olive Ranch (I used their bottle of “Everyday“, which is super affordable and available at Target, Whole Foods, pretty much everywhere now), the high content of antioxidants protect the oil from damage in the face of heat or other oxidants. Just make sure you are storing it in a dark place, away from heat (so not on the back of your stove), to preserve those qualities and shelf life.

So maybe, just maybe, I’ll change a few family members minds about sweet potatoes with these. I mean, chances are better they’ll try them because they’re white and look like regular spuds, right? Regardless, I feel like some of you (my people!), would be with me off to the side with these and a glass of wine. xo, Amanda

Sweet and Salty Curry Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Avocado

White sweet potatoes roasted with curry spices.

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Prep Time :10 minutes

Cook Time :30 minutes

Total Time :40 minutes

Yield: 5 servings

Author: Amanda Paa

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds white sweet potatoes sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt this is important. don’t use table salt as it is much finer and will be too salty
• pinch of cayenne like 1/8 teaspoon
• 2 tablespoons California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 an avocado diced
• fresh cilantro and lime juice {if you don’t like cilantro you can keep off. but don’t go without the lime juice. the acid is key}

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, stir together curry powder, sugar, salt, and cayenne. Pour olive onto potatoes, and rub in with hands so they are completely competed. Add 1/2 of curry mixture, and toss and work in to adhere, then the other 1/2.
• Bake for 12 minutes, and flip, then bake for another 18 minutes, until golden and crisp. Remove from oven, and put on plate.
• Add diced avocado, then top with fresh cilantro and big squeeze of lime juice.

Notes

inspired by and adapted from My Everyday Table.