Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Apples

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

I’m back! Whew! So sorry for the lag in posting – it’s been a crazy month, and we’ve either been out of town or had house guests the last four weekends in a row. Tons of fun, but it didn’t leave a lot of time for experimenting in the kitchen.  Finally got some downtime with the hubs yesterday, and it really was a fantastic day – woke up to the rain (Rain? In Austin? Seriously??), went for a nice, easy Sunday run, practiced my double-unders & handstands, ate a delish bun-less burger at Hopdoddy (I tried the Llano Poblano – yum!), and then rounded things out with Halloween costume shopping on South Congress (going to rock it this year!). Just lovely. We capped off the day by cooking dinner together and then watching John Carpenter’s The Thing (the original)… really a fantastic film, and despite being made in the early 80’s, it totally stands up today.

So, back to the food!  We made a couple of new dishes yesterday – all the recipes are coming shortly! Let’s start with my favorite of the newbies: Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples. Both P.J. and I agreed that this one just tasted like Fall and would be a really great Paleo Thanksgiving side option.  Hope you like ’em! Check out the recipe after the jump…

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Quantity: 4-6 side servings
Time: 10 minute prep, 15 minute cooking
Paleo Grade: B (Totally Paleo except for the grass-fed butter. You can sub coconut oil, but I would recommend adding a spice of choice (cinnamon?) to liven things up.)
Vegetarian Adaptation: None needed! This one’s all veggie.

• 1 1/2 to 2 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 – 1″ cubes
• 2 Tbs. coconut oil, warmed to liquid state
• 2 Tbs. unsalted grass-fed butter
• 1 large Fuji apple and 1 medium-large Granny Smith apple, washed, cored, and cut into 1/2 – 1″ cubes (toss with the juice of one small lemon to avoid browning)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Position your oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the cut sweet potatoes, coconut oil, and liberal salt & pepper.
3. Pour coated potatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet and use a spatula (or your hands!) to evenly distribute them into one layer.
   

   Seasoned Sweet Potatoes Ready for the Oven

4. Place in oven and roast for 10 minutes. Remove and use a spatula to “unstick” and flip potatoes, and then roast for 5-7 more minutes until tender and slightly browned on the edges.
5. While your potatoes are cooking, heat the grass-fed butter over med-high heat in a large, non-stick skillet until melted and just beginning to brown.
6. Add cubed apples and cook for 4-6 minutes, flipping occasionally to ensure even cooking.
   

   Fuji and Granny Smith Apples Ready for the Pan

   

   Cooking Up the Tart & Sweet Apples

7. Once they’ve softened up and absorbed some of the delicious butter, they’re all done – place ’em in the large bowl you used for the sweet potatoes.
8. Once the potatoes are cooked, just add them to the apples. Combine gently with a spatula and test your seasonings. We found that another liberal dose of salt and pepper made this dish just right.
9. Transfer to serving bowl and enjoy!

I paired this with a cast-iron ribeye steak, Paleo fried green tomatoes (recipe coming soon!), and a glass of wine. Yum!

My Dinner Plate - Ribeye, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Apples, and Paleo Fried Green Tomatoes