Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Roasted or Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro and Lime


Are you a Thanksgiving Sweet Potato fan??  I never was... until I grew up.  I don't remember my mom making them all that often, but when we went to other's houses I do remember those super sweet orange pureed "potatoes" from a can topped with browned ooey gooey marshmallows, and for me, that was a no-thanks.

It wasn't until I tried the ruby red tuber baked and with only a little salt, pepper and butter at a girlfriend's house some 15 years ago that my love began to soar.  Learning the health benefits of the vitamin-rich potato (anti-inflammatory properties along with antioxidants and high doses of vitamins A and C) inspired me to grow my recipe repertoire minus the marshmallows, and has made these beauties a family favorite.



And so it's fitting that today, as I introduce to you the new C.L.U.E (Cook, Learn, Undertake, Eat) Society, made up of some of my all time favorite food bloggers, we choose sweet potatoes for our post.

The C.L.U.E Society will be posting once per month with a themed assignment.  Each month we receive a fellow blogger and a theme - we don't tell the blogger we are perusing their posts - and then on the assigned posting day (2nd Wednesday of the month) we all reveal our assignments and the recipe we've chosen to recreate.


This month's assignment was to find "food you'd love to see on your Thanksgiving table" and my assigned blog is Lea Ann, from Cooking on the Ranch.

Based in Highland's Ranch, south of Denver, Colorado, Lea Ann brings recipes reflecting the west, but what inspired me the most is her love of the grill.

A grilling girl myself, my backyard San Diego grill fires up several times a week for everything from veggies and pizza to occasional chicken and kabobs.  I've even been known to bake a treat or two out there when my oven was on the fritz with a good amount of success.

Perusing Lea Ann's blog these sweet potatoes jumped out.  We've served Southwest Thanksgivings in the past, and these Southwest inspired potatoes include ingredients on my all time favorite list.  Lime, cilantro and sweet potatoes all in one place??  Yes please!

However, mentioning the post to another friend, her comment of "Oh, that sounds fabulous!  If only we had a grill... I wish I could do them in the oven.", motivated me to move these guys into the house, and with buckets of snow currently being dropped across the country (even though it's still 70º here...), the oven seemed a good choice for today.

Perfect as a Thanksgiving side dish or even as a plater on your appetizer table, Lea Ann has a hit here that you'll be loving all year round.  So happy to meet you Lea Ann, thanks for this keeper of a recipe!

Now won't you join me as we travel around the country with the rest Inaugural Members of the 
C.L.U.E Society!
Many thanks to Liz, Kate and Christiane for the time you've put into this event to make it run so smoothly for the rest of us!


 

Roasted or Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro and Lime
Tender and tasty, these potato rounds work beautifully as a side dish or even as a light appetizer.  We've brought an indoor roasted version, but Lea Ann's grilled version will be one you want to remember for warmer seasons!
Adapted from Bobby Flay and Cooking on the Ranch (Get the grilled version here!)
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3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8 to 1/4-inch rounds
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
2-4 Tbs oil (we used avocado oil)
pinch ground cayenne pepper
coarse salt (we used pink Himalayan)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400º.

In a medium bowl combine the lime zest, oil,  and cayenne.  Give it a good whisk to combine.  Drop the slice sweet potato rounds into the oil and toss to coat.  Arrange rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, do not overlap potatoes.

Place the baking sheet (or two) into the oven and roast the potatoes for about 15 minutes.  At 15 minutes remove the pan from the oven and flip each round.  Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with chopped cilantro.  Arrange on a serving plate and serve.

29 comments:

  1. Oh, yeah! This is a heck of a lot better than a casserole topped with marshmallows! SO glad you've joined us, Kim!!! xoxo

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    1. Ya... those marshmallows just don't do it for me. These though?? Love!

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  2. Oh my gosh, yes! I've never been a fan of the overly sweet mashed up sweet potatoes but would have no problem embracing these (which is a nice way of saying shoving them into my face). Roasted or grilled, I'm sure they're amazing. They sure look it.

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    1. Thanks Christianne... they ended up as my lunch yesterday!

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  3. Waving hello from the frozen tundra of Colorado. Nice to meet you through our new group. I'm really glad you chose this recipe. It's one of our favorites. Something about that lime with the sweet combo is delicious. I've never tried them in the oven, so yay for the roasting instructions.

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    1. So nice to meet you too Lea Ann!! And I'm SO happy you had this recipe. This is going to be a new year round favorite at our house. Love!!

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  4. I totally agree, sweet potatoes with marshmallows... no thanks! I love the idea of a roasted sliced of sweet potato like this. It's great to meet up with you here in the C.L.U.E. group. ~ Ramona :)

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    1. Good to see you too Ramona!! Those marshmallows just don't do it for me. But these guys do!

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  5. What a great way to use sweet potatoes - as an appetizer! I love that idea, in fact, the entire group is helping me to rethink my entire Thanksgiving meal. So happy to be a part of the group!

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    1. I put them out as a healthier option to chips... actually, it was sort of by accident! The first time I made these I cut them a little too thin and cooked them a little too long. They got sort of crunchy and we loved them!

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  6. Kim - so happy to be part of the CLUE Society with you! Finally we just might be able to have each others blogs - I can hardly wait! You selected a wonderful recipe and so perfect for Thanksgiving! Happy Wednesday to you!!!

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    1. Met too Lisa!!! One of these days i'm going to virtually make it to one of your cocktail parties!!!

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  7. Your potatoes look fabulous, healthy and delicious! A winner for sure! Really nice to meet you through CLUE, and happy to be part of the fun! Cheers!

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  8. What a delicious side dish, Kim! The combination of sweet potato, lime and cilantro rocks!! Great new group....I see some new blogs to peruse, too!

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    1. Many thanks Kate!! The combo was a true hit for us!

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  9. Hi Kim! We love sweet potatoes in our house so you can bet we'll be making this well before Thanksgiving. So great to be hanging out with you through Blogger CLUE!

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  10. This is the perfect recipe for the one and only sweet potato that I dug from the garden!!!!! Glad you're a part of CLUE, too, Kim.

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  11. Yum - what a great flavor combination! I usually add orange juice to mine, but I'd like to try this!

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  12. What a lovely recipe! Definitely the way I like sweet potatoes and yams - growing up they were served as a big glob.

    Beautiful photos - so glad to meet you through CLUE!

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  13. These sound absolutely fantastic!! I made American sweet potatoes for Bear last year and he thought they were ghastly - so you two are alike in that regard. :-) I like them much better with caramelized walnuts on top. :-0 But THIS, this sounds scrumptious. I bet they would be just as nice cold on our hot summer days. :-)

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  14. I seriously need to make more stuff with sweet potatoes! This looks amazing!

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  15. WOW this looks like a fun alternative to the traditional sweet potato dish!! :)

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  16. I still can not get the reasoning behind why they call these "sweet potatoes" when they are "Yams". I love both but really wish there would be a separation in people's thinking. They are not the same item.

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  17. Luv sweet potatoes grilled, roasted or even nuked, but lime zest & cayenne make these bites irresistible. What a terrific start to the C.L.U.E society monthly events!

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  18. You're going to come to my house and make these for me, right? Right? *hears crickets...sob*

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  19. I'm late. I know. But this doesn't change the recipe or the fact that I need to make this now, Kim. Looks so tasty and easy too. That's my kind of recipe! Thanks for the inspiration for 3 large sweet potatoes just waiting to be dressed like this.

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    1. I love, love, love these Jill!! Sometimes I just call them lunch...!

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