Spicy Sweet Potato Coins

Okay, confession time. I'm not a huge sweet potato fry fan. I wish I was, but every time a friend orders them in a restaurant, I'm put off by the sweeter mealiness (is that a word??) of the inside. There is a local restaurant that serves them with some fun dipping sauces, like a chipotle aoili and a lime cilantro vinaigrette, that makes the bearable for me, but otherwise I'm out.

So I had a few sweet potatoes left over from last week, and the recurring sweet potato fry theme kept kicking around in my head. I finally decided to do something about it and this recipe was born.

Whoa. These are delicious. No, seriously. They're tasty! The brown sugar carmelizes to give them a nice crispy crust, but then the spiciness of the cumin, crushed red pepper, and chili powder comes soaring through. The best part about them - the recipe is a cinch to make so this is a side dish you'll want to make over and over again!



Spicy Sweet Potato Coins

2 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp salt or seasoning salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil

Preheat oven to 425 and cover a baking sheet in parchment paper. Cut sweet potatoes into 1/4" slices and place into bowl. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and remaining spices. Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and toss well with hands to coat. Sprinkle spices over potatoes and toss well again with hands to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil and toss briefly to coat slices.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and place in preheated oven. Bake for 7-10 minutes, then flip. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Potatoes will crisp up more as they cool. Serve and enjoy!