Lime-Cilantro Sweet Potatoes

 

Do your weekday menus include fancy side dishes?

My answer...a big, fat NO...should surprise no one,

as I'd rather do anything but cook.

I'm happy if I can get an entree together for dinner.

My go-to side dishes usually involve roasting anything and everything...

asparagus

broccoli 

brussel sprouts

cauliflower  

white potatoes

red potatoes

sweet potatoes

string beans

You name it...and I've likely tossed it with some olive oil,  salt and pepper, 

and popped it into the oven to roast.

But sometimes...just sometimes...I'll go the extra mile 

to make something a little more exotic.

In the case of these Lime Cilantro Sweet Potatoes,

I didn't have to go anywhere close to an extra mile...

in fact, all I had to do was take three extra little steps,

to serve up something super-delicious:

1. Grate lime zest.

2. Squeeze a lime.

3. Chop cilantro. 

Minimum effort, for a maximum return.
These are definitely THE BEST roasted sweet potatoes I've ever had. 

I've had this recipe for awhile...

it came from the December 2013 issue of Real Simple,

and true to the magazine's claim, the preparation was real simple.

It involved the usual tossing with olive oil,

and seasoning with salt and pepper,

plus a 1/2 teaspoon of lime zest.

After roasting, the potatoes are mixed with some lime juice and cilantro.

As a co-worker always says...

Hutz, Mutz, Clutz...they're done!

The original recipe calls for four sweet potatoes,

but I used three (I'm on a diet, ha-ha, remember?)

They would be a lot prettier if I cut them into wedges,

like they did in the magazine,

but when I tried to slice the potatoes in half, length-wise,

I had a hard time.
I like my fingers, so rather than fight it, I cut the potatoes in half width-wise, 

and then cut each half into eighths. 

The original recipe also said they would be crispy after 15-18 minutes...

I had to roast mine about 23 minutes until they were nicely browned. 

So take the roasting time with a grain of salt (and some pepper and lime zest!), 

and use your judgment as to when they are done.

You really can't screw these up...

unless you undercook them and serve them when they're still hard, 
or burn them to a crisp. 

I, of course, have never of done either of those two things. 

Not. Ever. 

 

Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Lime and Cilantro

Recipe by Real Simple magazine

 

3-4 sweet potatoes, cut into thin wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon lime zest

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and lime zest. 

Season with salt and pepper.

Roast on rimmed baking sheet in a 425°oven, turning once or twice, until golden brown, about 18-23 minutes. 

Toss with lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Serve warm. 

How did the family like them?

Generally, when I make a baked sweet potato,

Mr. Goo Shoes and I split one. 

However, Mr. GS ate about two-thirds of these 

(the equivalent of two potatoes - don't tell him - he has no idea).

I kept hoping he wouldn't eat them all, 

so that I'd have some left over for a snack the next day, 

but...no dice.

 G-G-G-Gone.

Keeping with full disclosure, Junior Goo Shoes wouldn't give them a try, 

once he saw "that green stuff" on them. 

Had no one been looking, 

I could have easily eaten all of the sweet potatoes, myself.

They were that good.

Woulda, coulda, shouldn'ta... 

because that would be piggish, and I'd never fit into any of my clothes.

But, I sure wanted to.    
 

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