Curried Sweet Potato Wedges

Life is too short and far too complicated not to be able to make simple and great food from scratch. 

Yes, my recipe annals are replete with examples to the contrary, so perhaps I need to find a bit more balance in the recipes I post. You tell me ….

But for starters, here is one the Barefoot Contessa could stick her “foolproof” stamp of approval on … curried sweet potatoes. Best of all, it has only four ingredients, all of which should be in most pantries.

If you’ve been to an Indian buffet, you’ve seen and probably tasted curried potatoes, and this is where my mind went when I was doing my last far-East inspired meal. And, as so often happens when my mind wanders anywhere, it gets detoured and usually lost. Thus, as I prepared to pick up regular potatoes in the green grocer, my hand wavered when my eyes saw the sweet potatoes next to them: why not, I thought? In my palette’s eye, this would pair excellently with the pork I was making with date-molasses glaze. Why not, indeed ….

Well, the proof may not entirely be in the pictures, but the proof was certainly in the heavenly fragrances that filled the house and the mouths that watered in anticipation.

There is nothing hard — and I mean absolutely nothing — about this. If you can peel a potato, slice them into wedges, boil them (but not too much), and sprinkle them pre-prepared curry powder, then you can do this … everyone can do this.

And, no, these aren’t “fries.” These are oven-baked, nearly fat-free, good for you, and good for a palette that won’t slow down. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did ….

Prep time:    10 minutes
Cook time:    35 minutes
Total time:    45 minutes
Servings:      6-8

Curried Sweet Potato Wedges

INGREDIENTS:

• 2lb (900g) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
  → about 4-5 medium potatoes
  
• 1-2 teaspoons (5-7mL) “mild” curry powder
• 2 tablespoons (30mL) roasted sesame oil
• Kosher sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes, then, with a very sharp chef’s knife, cut them in half, lengthwise. Slice each of these halves into “wedges” (about 4-6 pieces per half), holding the knife at an angle to create the ‘wedge’ shape.
   → BE SAFE: Keep your fingers above the knife as you do this.
   
3. Once the water has come to a boil, toss the sweet potatoes into the water, and cook for about 10 minutes … until the sweet potatoes are just (only just barely) fork tender.
   Immediately remove them from the water, run them under cool water for a few seconds to slow the cooking, and drain well. Return them to the pot or a non-reactive bowl.
   Drizzle them with the sesame oil and toss until all are coated. Now toss them and sprinkle them with curried powder until they’re evenly coated again.
   → Tip: I don’t recommend using a spoon as you run the risk of breaking the wedges.
   Once coated, use a pair of tongs to spread the wedges evenly on the baking sheet keeping them from overlapping as much as possible so that they cook evenly and crisp up a bit.
   Sprinkle with a bit more curry powder to ensure they’re all covered and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Very simple stuff.
4. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet and turn the wedges, return to oven, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.After they have baked, turn oven to BROIL and broil them until they’ve lightly browned and crisped up. Serve immediately.
   Serve with Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Banana-Date Glaze