It’s surprising to me how sometimes I get cravings for food that I didn’t eat as a kid and still don’t eat often.  The other day I was sitting at work when the overwhelming craving for sweet potatoes came over me.  And not just sweet potatoes – roasted sweet potatoes.  It was such a specific and odd craving, far more deep than my normal cravings for chocolate or Chinese food.  Maybe it was my body’s way of telling me I need Vitamin C?  I came home that night and searched through my recipes but could only find recipes for mashed sweet potatoes, nothing roasted.  So, I decided to wing it.  The result were these perfectly sweet and spicy Roasted Chipotle-Lime Sweet Potatoes.

Fresh sweet potatoes are tossed with a little olive oil and chipotle chile pepper before being roasted in the oven until browned and soft.  A light sprinkle of salt and squeeze of fresh lime juice finish off these potatoes which could be eaten as a side to any dish or simply as a light meal in itself.  The combination of natural sweetness in the potatoes with the spicy chipotle makes for a perfect marriage of flavors and the addition of citrus at the end really brightens up the whole dish.  If you take a quick scan online for roasted sweet potatoes recipes, most include brown sugar or honey but I didn’t want any added sugar and preferred to keep this savory.  If you don’t like the spicy kick of chipotle chile pepper and prefer a more subtle flavor, cinnamon or smoked paprika would be good substitutions.

Roasted Chipotle-Lime Sweet Potatoes (makes 4 servings)

• 2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile pepper
• 1/2 a lime
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Chop sweet potatoes into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add olive oil; toss to coat.  Sprinkle chipotle chile pepper over the potatoes; toss to coat.  Place potatoes on a baking sheet, spreading into a single layer.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until potatoes are soft and browned.  Squeeze lime juice over warm potatoes.  Sprinkle with salt, to taste.

The ingredients:

Chop sweet potatoes into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.  Add olive oil; toss to coat.

Sprinkle chipotle chili pepper over the potatoes; toss to coat.  Place potatoes on a baking sheet, spreading into a single layer.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until potatoes are soft and browned.

Squeeze lime juice over warm potatoes.

Sprinkle with salt, to taste.