Roasted Sweet Potato Slices

prep time:: 10 min , active
total time:: null about 35 minutes

Serves 2

Sweet potatoes are native to the tropical parts of South America, and were domesticated there at least 5000 years ago. Only distantly related to the potato, sweet potatoes and their cousin the yam, found in Asia and Africa, are a crop plant whose large, starchy, sweet tasting tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. Sweet potatoes are now cultivated throughout tropical and warm temperate regions wherever there is sufficient water to support their growth. This sweet potato recipe is a wonderful substitute for french fries, as they are lower in fat, since they are baked, not fried and have higher levels of vitamins, nutrients, and complex carbohydrates.

ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
3/4 pound sweet potatoes (2 large sweet potatoes), scrubbed, left unpeeled, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
Coarse salt, to taste

directions

1
1. Move an oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat oven to 450°F.
2
2. In a small bowl whisk together the oil, the butter, salt and pepper to taste.
3
3. Arrange the potato slices, not touching, in rows on an oiled baking sheet, brush them with the oil mixture, and roast them in the upper third of the preheated oven, turning them once with a spatula, for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they are golden and crisp.
4
4. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain, sprinkle them with the coarse salt and pepper to taste, and serve them warm.