No Recipe: Sweet Potato Wedgies

Sometimes doing the simplest of things, like changing the shape of a particular vegetable, can completely alter the outcome.

Until now, my go-to roasted sweet potato method has pretty much been the same as red-skinned potatoes — cut into smallish, one or two-inch cubes, toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roast at 425°F. The result? Crispy on the outside and sometimes dry on the inside sweet potatoes, which were okay but not, you know, wow, as my friend Alisa would say.

Instead, I recently sliced my potatoes in halves, then fourths, and then eighths — and cooked them the same way as I did the small pieces. I left the skins on, too.

Totally fabulous, these were. Crispy, yes, and even slightly chewy, too, because of the skins (fiber, y’all!), with soft, baked potato-like insides. I’d planned on having them for dinner, along with black beans and avocado, but I ended up eating them right off the pan, one at a time.

When you make these (and you will), be sure and put a thin coating of oil on your pan before you put the sweet potato wedgies on them, inside-flesh side down (sweet potatoes love to stick to pans), and turn them to the other side about halfway through the cooking process, which will be about 15 or 20 minutes. The second side usually doesn’t take that long.

These are great served as a side to burgers, rotisserie chicken (I did this, too), or anything else you can imagine. I plan to stuff the few remaining pieces into a tortilla and make a taco with them tonight.