Sweet potatoes are more versatile than a holiday staple

Relegating sweet potatoes to the November and December holidays means missing out on a lot of flavor the rest of the year.

And, swirling baked sweet potatoes with a scoop of brown sugar and covering the mixture with marshmallows for a baked side dish adds a lot of calories.

Such a casserole is a nice occasional indulgence, especially when made with love by a favorite relative for a family get-together.

But, sweet potatoes are, as the name implies, sweetened enough by their very nature. They can stand on their own, such as when baked. Just amplify the natural sweetness with a pinch of salt.

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The following recipe for Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples is an example of how deftly handling sweet potatoes can give you a lighter-than-expected side dish.

The recipe is adapted from one in "Lean Star Cuisine" (1993) by Terry Conlan, then the food services director for Lake Austin Spa Resort.

In the recipe's introduction, Conlan wrote, "I am thinking about writing a cookbook devoted to all the simple, delicious ways to prepare sweet potatoes that do not include melted marshmallows as part of the recipe."

While I appreciate the praise, I made a few changes to the original recipe, starting with the title. Scalloped Sweet Potatoes and Apples is the name in the cookbook. But, scalloped in cooking usually denotes a dish with potatoes, tomatoes or other sliced ingredients baked in a cream sauce. The dish also often is topped with bread crumbs.

The other major change is eliminating from the ingredient list orange juice. The sweet potatoes, combined with the crispy, sweet apples, have sufficient sweetness.

I baked the sliced ingredients on their edge, which I think helps the heat circulate better around them in the oven. But, they also could be mixed in flat layers in the baking dish for easier assembly.

I love sweet potatoes, often peeling and cutting them into cubes for a hash. My husband is not a fan of sweet side dishes, such as stewed apples, but he was smitten by this sweet potato recipe as a side for grilled venison steaks recently.

The dish also would complement beef steaks, ham, pork chops or roasted chicken, giving you a different side dish option – all year long.

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Share your favorite recipes or food-related historical recollections by emailing Laura Gutschke at laura.gutschke@reporternews.com.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes (2 to 3 inches in diameter and about 5 inches long), peeled and cut into 1/4- to 3/8-inch slices

2 large tart, crisp apples (such as Honey Crisp, Granny Smith or Fuji), cut into 1/4- to 3/8-inch slices (peeling is unnecessary)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Pour the olive oil into an 8- by 9-inch (or similar size) glass baking dish with 2-inch sides. Use a crumpled paper towel to evenly coat the bottom and sides of the dish with the oil. (A nonstick cooking spray can be used instead to coat the inside of the dish.)

3. Build three rows of alternate layers of sweet potato and apple slices standing on their edges in the baking dish. (For easier assembly, create four or six alternating layers of sweet potatoes and apples.) Sprinkle lightly the cinnamon on top, followed by a pinch of salt.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, or until fork tender. Serve immediately. Yields four servings.

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Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Sweet potatoes are more versatile than a holiday staple