Brown butter sweet potatoes are a #winner. From start to finish in about 40 mins these sweet & spicy potato wedges are a great snack or side dish for any bbq or dinner party.
SWEET POTATOES v YAMS
Who doesn't love yummy sweet potatoes?! Or, are those actually yams? While living in NYC I was always confused by the Yam v Sweet Potato argument. Why are some called yams and some called sweet potatoes? Most people I asked gave me the 'it’s the difference in colour' argument. While others said 'that's what they are labelled as in the supermarket'. I have since found out that the majority of 'yams' found in supermarkets were and are in fact just sweet potatoes. It was deemed (according to research) that the word “yam” was used as a marketing term. Starting way back in the 1930's and it just stuck. Mainly to do with a need to differentiate them because of the colour, so I guess most people I originally spoke to were correct. Sounds to me like some real FAKE NEWS there!! 🙂
WHAT IS A SWEET POTATO
Now that’s all sorted, the real difference between sweet potatoes and yams is that in fact they come from different plants. The sweet potato comes from the morning glory family. It has smooth skin, colours that range from light beige, burnt orange to purple. Like the name says they are sweet and are less starchy than yams. Yams, as just mentioned, are drier and starchier therefore require the use of more oil, butter or cream in cooking. They are related to palms and grasses. They are typically white fleshed and have a rough hairy-like skin. So next time you are in the supermarket pay close attention to what you are purchasing. Because when making this or other dishes as believe me there will be a significant difference in the final product.
Sweet potatoes are fantastic to work with, they are delicious simply mashed with some butter, lend themselves well to being served crushed with scallions & sour cream or, as in this dish, they can be easily grilled on the bbq and complimented nicely by my spicy aioli. They are best stored in a cool & dry place, where they will last up to a month. Truthfully I store mine in the fridge. This actually isn’t the best place to store them as it can produce a hard center and an unpleasant taste but in the Brisbane heat there is no such thing as a “cool, dry place”! However, I make sure they are generally only in the fridge for 2-3 days before use and have had no issues to date!
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Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
- 4 sweet potatoes different colours if possible
- 30 g butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- salt
- coriander leaf garnish
- lime wedge garnish
Aioli
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove crushed
Instructions
Aioli
- Beat eggs, lemon juice, crushed garlic & mustard together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add salt & pepper.
- Slowly add oil and continue to beat until a mayonnaise like thickness.
- Add sriracha & honey and continue to beat, this will thin it out a little which will make it easier to pour.
Sweet Potatoes
- Cut potatoes into wedges and lay out on a baking tray. Make sure they are cut evenly so they cook correctly
- Heat butter in sauce pan until brown & frothy. This is called brown butter but more on that later. Stir in sugar, salt & cinnamon until dissolved.
- In large mixing bowl coat potatoes and butter mixture. Using tongs as the butter will be very hot
- Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 mins @ 200c, turning once.
- Once cooked, remove to a serving plate/tray and drizzle with aioli. Top with coriander leaves and a wedge of lime.
Notes
Essential Tools
- large mixing bowl
- medium mixing bowl
- small sauce pan
- whisk
- tongs
- baking tray
- measuring spoons/cups
Tips/Tricks
- to save time you can use shop bought aioli/mayo but trust me, once you try this honey sriracha one you will understand why sometimes you just can't beat homemade
- make sure when cutting sweet potatoes they are of similar size so that they cook evenly
- aioli will last up to 1 week in the fridge, I personally keep mine for 4 days
These meatballs look delicious! Love that they only take 30 minutes to be made!
My store had a sale on boneless skinless tenders instead of breasts, so I think I will try this as more of a layered dish! Can hardly wait.
oooohh sounds fun - send me some pics! I'm @another_food_blogger on insta!
this sounds absolutley delicious, great for leftovers probably! thanks for giving the different twists so I can try a different one each time! 🙂
This looks amazing! Nice work. I’ve never cooked with tamarind before.
I think this could be a hit in our house. Sweet Potatoes on their own haven’t gone over very well. A little added flavour could turn interests
This is my ultimate comfort food - delicious sweet potatoes with that amazing aioli - pure heaven!
Thanks Alexandra!! I look forward to seeing your version of it ??