A simple roasted sweet potato dish flavored with ghee, spicy chile powder and a touch of orange juice.
*See Kitchen Notes for substitutions and more information.
Transfer to an ovenproof skillet or roasting dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring once after 15 minutes.
Sweet Potatoes – The potatoes you see in the photos are Japanese sweet potatoes. However, any type of sweet potato or yam would work in this recipe. The Japanese sweet potatoes might actually be a little too sweet for some people’s taste, so just use your favorite. For another delicious recipe using Japanese sweet potatoes, check out the Candied Sweet Potatoes at Just One Cookbook.
Ghee – For some reason I have avoided making ghee for years thinking it was too much trouble for the outcome. Oh how wrong was I?! Not only is it EASY to make (I used the method at EasyFoodSmith), the outcome is uniquely delicious. A completely different taste from just butter. Because the milk solids are removed from the butter, ghee can handle temperatures up to 400° F, whereas butter burns around 250° F. By roasting the potatoes with ghee, the flavor of the ghee is incorporated into the sweet potatoes.
If you don’t have ghee, then roast the potatoes in 1 tablespoon mild olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter. If vegan, the use 2 Tbsp. olive oil.
To learn more about ghee, what it is, its nutritional value, and how to make it, check out EasyFoodSmith’s post “Home Made DESI GHEE (Indian Clarified Butter)“.
Orange Juice – I chose to add the freshly squeezed orange juice after the potatoes had roasted to prevent the sugars in the juice from burning. By letting the cooked potatoes rest for a couple of minutes after tossing with the orange juice, it allows the juice to be absorbed into the potatoes.
Murupi Amerela – This pepper has a very unique flavor and the burn, it’s there, but it doesn’t last but a few seconds and it’s not a scorching burn. It’s just enough to wake you up and make sure that those taste buds are working properly, then it goes away leaving a sweet citrus flavor in the mouth. If you don’t have this particular chile powder, then use your favorite spicy sweet chile powder or a mild sweet chile powder like a Spanish sweet paprika, or one of the many red chile powders available. As far as how much of the murupi amerela to use, if you don’t like “heat”, then start with about 1/16 tsp (2 generous pinches) and work your way up. For us, 1/8 tsp was just right to provide a introduction of heat and flavor. (Read more about Murupi Amerela at the end of this post.)
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen