Sweet Potatoes Cuban Style

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

I am not someone who only eats sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving. Actually, those super sweet, marshmellow topped sweet potatoes that were a staple of our family Thanksgiving potlucks do not appear at all in our house. I love sweet potatoes--they are gorgeous and rich in nutrients. Sweet potato fries, baked sweet potatoes, Cuban style sweet potatoes--yes!

This is a super simple savory sweet potato dish that I have been making for years:

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F and when heated, put an oiled, baking dish in the oven until the dish is sizzling. I use a cast iron skillet.

Peel and cube into 1" chunks medium size sweet potatoes, one potato per person. In a bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil to coat and salt and pepper.

Put the sweet potatoes in the hot skillet in one layer. Bake about 20 minutes, stirring once, until the potatoes begin to brown.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and stir into them:
2 finely minced garlic cloves
1 T chopped fresh parsley

That's it!

Another variation--stir into the roasted sweet potato:
2 finely minced garlic cloves
1 T finely chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime

Or add the lime juice to the garlic and parsley version.

These variations provide quite a different taste to this simple dish.  These recipes can also be created on the grill using a grill basket.