Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Around this time of the year sweet potatoes are very popular and making pies with them seems to be the recipe of choice, which calls for adding about a cup of sugar. Won't this smother the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes? That is my opinion and pumpkin and sweet potato pies are not my thing anyway.

That reminds me of the Diabetes supplement that came along with the Washington Post. It had some sobering information that the number of people with diabetes has gone through the roof compared to the 50s especially Type 2 among young people. Type 2 diabetes among the young population has a lot to do with diet. Our sweet tooth combined with the stealth inclusion of sugar by food manufacturers, the per capita sugar consumption keeps going up. Doctors say that added sugar in the form of fructose is far worse than sucrose which comes from sugar beets or sugar cane. As expected the Corn Refiners Association says that it is unfair to single out one particular ingredient. So while each association argues for its own product consumers are the ones who suffer.

Though many of us know that added sugar in beverages such as soda, sports drinks and energy drinks and they are bad, there are other foods like pasta sauce, salad dressing and yogurt which have the reputation of being healthy but unfortunately are all stealth carriers of sugar and perhaps more harmful. The daily sugar limit for women is about 6 tsp and for men it is about 9 tsp (1 tsp = 4 grams) which can be had from a single serving cup of yogurt which I shockingly discovered. For more information read this article “Targeting Americans' sweet tooth” .

Sugar has no starring role in today's recipe but the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes is amplified when they are roasted and they taste much better than any sugar be it sucrose or fructose. Moreover sweet potatoes when compared to regular potatoes are considered to be better though it does not bear out by the nutrition profile. The big problem is how potatoes are usually cooked - french fries, deep fried, baked but smothered with sour cream and other cheesy topping which is usually the problem.

Because sweet potatoes are sweet, I am guessing they are eaten boiled or roasted which is perhaps why it is considered more healthier.

I make these Sweet Potato fries often which are very tasty but these roasted potatoes in some ways are easier and with the added garlic are also just as tasty.

Jersey Sweet Potatoes, with skin peeled.
Heat water in a pot and boil the potatoes till they are partially cooked. Take care not not to overcook them.
Add the oil and spices to the cooked potatoes .
Toss the potatoes in the oil and spice and spread in a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 30 minutes.
Broil for 4-5 minutes to brown the potatoes on the top.

To make roasted sweet potatoes be it fries or cubed I prefer the white fleshed sweet potatoes which are called Jersey White Sweet Potatoes. In texture they are very similar to the Indian sweet potato. They take a bit longer to cook than the orange fleshed sweet potato and does not get mushy that quickly.

Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time:45 minutes
Ingredients

1. 3 medium sized sweet potatoes (I used Jersey Sweet Potatoes
2. 2 tbsp of basting oil (or olive oil)
3. 4 garlic cloves minced fine
4. 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
5. salt to taste

Method

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and dice them into bite sized pieces. (see Note:)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
3. Cook the diced sweet potatoes in boiling water for 3-5 minutes that is if you are using a sweet potato that takes longer to cook. They should be only partially cooked. Take care not to overcook them. If using the quick cooking orange fleshed sweet potato do not boil them.
4. Toss the sweet potatoes in the oil, minced garlic, chili powder and salt.
5. Spread the tossed sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sweet and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes till they start to brown. If required broil them for another 5 minutes.
6. Note:After the potatoes have been peeled, they tend to discolor quickly, so keep them submerged in water.
7. The basting oil I used had herb in them so feel free to add any chopped herbs of your preference.

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