These potatoes are similar to my Mexican Potatoes, but instead of just spicy I’ve added a sweet element. Peeling and chopping raw sweet potatoes can be hard work, so I cheated and bought the peeled, pre-cut variety that you can steam in the microwave, and it’s also much quicker than baking the potatoes in the oven. You will need two packages if you decide to go this route and you will want to reduce the oil to 2 tbsp since you are steaming and not baking.

3 large sweet potatoes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne (red) pepper

Preheat oven to 400F

Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1-inch chunks. In a large zip-locked bag, combine potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Toss potatoes in the bag to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until potatoes are tender, rearranging occasionally to prevent the sugars in the potatoes to burn.

If using the pre-cut variety, steam bags in the microwave per package directions. Combine steamed potatoes in a zip-locked bag with the other ingredients and toss to coat.

For serving, drizzle lightly with honey if desired. This dish would be great with baked apple or pear wedges. If you would like a more savory application, bake the sweet potatoes with 1 cup chopped onion and 1 tbsp minced garlic.

When I made the Apples Roasted with Root Vegetables, there was enough to feed a small army! I still had half of it left in the refrigerator, and decided to turn it into soup! You could either follow the original recipe and reserve half, or follow the recipe below if you just want to make the soup.

Here is the recipe, halved:

1 1/2 cups tart apples, cored and cut into wedges
1 cup carrots, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges
1/2 lb small red skin potatoes, cut into quarters
1 large sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 cups parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch chunks 
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp dried thyme or 1/2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/4 tsp salt

For soup, add:
2 tsp minced garlic
4-5 cups water or chicken stock
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of red pepper

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine apples, carrots, onion, red skin potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, thyme,  and salt. Toss to coat and spread vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelize. 

Saute garlic over medium heat in a large saucepan for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add 4 cups chicken stock or water, plus nutmeg and red pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add reserved vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are warm (if using leftovers). Blend in batches, filling the blender halfway each time. Combine batches in a clean pot and add additional water or stock if too thick. Top with fresh ground black pepper.   

Shown below, garnished with a cinnamon stick:

Based on a tasty Fall recipe from www.MichiganApples.com, this dish combines tart apples with onions, potatoes, carrots and parsnips with light seasoning. The original recipe called for all of the apples and vegetables to be peeled, but I feel that peeling vegetables is a bit of a waste. I did peel the carrots and parsnips, but I wasn’t meticulous about it – a little bit of peel isn’t going to hurt anything. The recipe makes about 8 servings, so it can easily be halved if that is too much food.

3 cups tart apples, cored and cut into wedges
2 cups carrots, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 lb small red skin potatoes, cut into quarters
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 cups parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4 inch chunks 
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper 

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine apples, carrots, onion, red skin potatoes, sweet potatoes, and parsnips in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat and spread vegetables evenly on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelize. Remove from oven and serve.   

Root vegetables on a baking sheet:

Bake and serve: