Quick and easy roasted sweet potatoes (wedges) topped with a tasty yogurt based sauce. This recipe is perfect as a holiday or weeknight side dish.
I don’t know the definition of superfoods, but in my humble opinion sweet potatoes should qualify. They’re versatile in terms of the many ways you can cook them and they taste good no matter how you slice or cook them. These roasted sweet spuds can actually be made in a shade under 30 minutes so they have the added benefit of being convenient and quick cook.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes Inspiration
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Sweet potato pie is an annual lock for Thanksgiving, but I always save a spot for that second sweet potato dish. It’s usually a side that’s both holiday ready and an everyday thang. Last year it was Mexican style candied “yams.” This year I’m still undecided, but this recipe along with the yogurt sauce is definitely in the running.
I literally stumbled into this recipe while on one of my very normal walks of life. This one included an old episode of Parts Unknown with my guy, the late great Anthony Bourdain visiting Israel where yogurt sauce is common. Coincidently I was reviewing some old notes around the same time and came across a few scribbles regarding the restaurant Gjelina in LA I had eaten before and recalled a version of sweet potatoes topped with a dairy based sauce which i later figured was yogurt.
How to get perfectly roasted sweet potatoes
Roasting as a cooking method is as simple as it gets with preparing sweet potatoes. The only downside to me is that you have to resist grabbing one too early cause it will burn for your fingers and your tongue. There isn’t much to do to get perfectly cooked roasted sweet potatoes, but there are some key principles of cooking to abide by:
- Keep in mind we’re not roasting them whole, otherwise the cooking time for this recipe basically doubles. Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges for shorter cooking times. Remember for even faster cook time cut the sweet potatoes into even smaller cubes.
- Use enough oil to get those crispy edges. Make sure via your hands that all parts of each sweet potato wedge gets coated in oil.
- Roast at high temps (400+ degrees) for quick cook, slight caramelization along the edges, and creamy center crisp exterior.
- Keep the seasonings simple. Sea salt, pepper, and paprika is all I use. I considered some heat via a chili powder like cayenne or ancho.
- Salt the the taters righteously. Salting draws out some of the moisture and leads to crispiness.
Can You Microwave Sweet Potatoes?
If you’re pushed for time or just want to cook them faster, yes you can use the microwave. I personally don’t view microwaves as a cooking vessel, as I was raised to view it as a way to heat-up cooked food. You can partially microwave them to get them soft before roasting regularly.
What Toppings Should I Consider
The yogurt sauce realistically is all you need unless you prefer to use it more as a dip. The recipe calls for plain greek yogurt like a Chobani brand. I only had the Chobani peach yogurt on hand for which the yogurt is on top and fruit on the bottom. I literally skimmed the yogurt off the top and used in the sauce. The peach essence was a real pleasant surprise and added some additional flavor. Green onions including the white parts are a good add for their crunch.
Can These Be Made Ahead
Between me and you, these bad boys are best served and eaten fresh out the oven. But yes, I’ve stored these overnight in the refrigerator then reheated them in the oven slowly.
Making roasted sweet potatoes
If you make these delicious sweet potato wedges please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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For other roasted vegetable sides try these Crispy Roasted Okra, this Roasted Carrots with Harissa Sauce, or Roasted Sweet Potato Salad.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- ½ cups plain Greek style yogurt
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon aleppa chili flakes use less if using red pepper flakes
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450
- Combine yogurt, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Set aside.
- Toss sweet potatoes with remaining 2 tablespoon oil and chili flakes (Urfa, Aleppo, or crushed red pepper). Season additionally with salt and pepper
- Roast potatoes on baking sheet for 25 minutes
- Put on serving platter and drizzle with yogurt sauce and garnish with green onions
J.D.
Friday 6th of August 2021
Chili flakes are not in ingredient list. Hoe much chili flakes?
Marwin Brown
Sunday 8th of August 2021
Sorry, 1/2 tsp should be enough. If using traditional hot red pepper flakes use only a pinch.