the Older Bolder Life Vegetable Tuesday: Crispy Baked Sweet Potatoes with Hot Sauce Butter

Chatting with Chef Libby in Austin this week after Thanksgiving, she happened to ask if we’d ever tried her Crispy Baked Sweet Potatoes with Hot Sauce Butter and Pepitas before.

I couldn’t remember ever preparing this easy and damned interesting side before, which incorporates healthy sweet potatoes for those who occasionally incorporate the tuber into their eating plan, along with a big dollop of wonderful grass-fed butter spiced up with the hot sauce of your choice. Granted, not a keto-oriented dish you’d eat every night, but what a great way to add a bit of healthier carb into your rotation for those who need it.

This recipe really couldn’t be simpler, you’re just baking halved (small) sweet potatoes cut-side down on a baking pan until crispy, and slathering with a compound butter you’ve mashed together earlier. The butter does need to be at room temperature to incorporate the hot sauce well, and while Libby’s recipe includes a tablespoon of good honey, it’s not essential given the sweetness of the spuds.

The spiced, light sprinkle of pepitas adds another layer of taste and texture, and the burst of acidity from the lime takes this one over the top.

6 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean, halved lengthwise
1/3 cup avocado or extra-virgin olive oil
Liberal sprinkle of kosher salt

1/4 cup unsalted, grass-fed butter, room temperature
2-3 tbsp hot sauce of your choice (we like it with Valentina)
1-2 tsp fresh lime zest
1 tbsp good honey (optional)

1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 tsp ground cumin OR 1 tbsp ground coriander
Another sprinkle of good salt (a flaky sea salt shines here)
Lime wedges for serving

Preheat your trusty oven to 425; toss the prepared sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet, drizzle with 1/4 cup of your oil of choice, and rub to coat all sides. Sprinkle liberally with kosher salt. Align the sweet potatoes cut side down on the baking sheet, and bake for 28-30 minutes (test by inserting a sharp knife – it should slide in easily, and you want some crispy color on the cut sides).

While the spuds are in the oven, mash the hot sauce into the butter one tablespoon at a time (use a fork) until evenly incorporated; now mash in the lime zest and honey if using, and season to taste with more salt. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in small saucepan over medium heat and toast the pepitas until crispy and brown (3-5 minutes); keep them moving so they don’t burn. Remove from the heat, season with the cumin or coriander and a sprinkle of kosher salt.

When the sweet potatoes are done, artfully arrange on a platter, slather with the spicy butter, spoon the toasted pepitas over, and salt to taste. Serve with lime wedges on the side – the little bit of citrus acidity really plays well here.

Enjoy.