Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Yogurt Sauce
This recipe for Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Yogurt Sauce is popular for good reason - a delicious balance of sweet and spicy.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Well, friends, this recipe title is quite a mouthful, but it's worth it, I promise.
These flavors are amazing... spicy and rich sweet potato wedges are covered with cool lemon or lime juice-infused yogurt sauce, so perfect.
This is an easy recipe to put together and uses everyday ingredients, perfect!
Great to serve as a vegetarian side dish.
For the full recipe and list of ingredients, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Sweet Potatoes: Want to know what's the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? (The folks at The Kitchn have a good explanation if you're interested. )
Honey: I use a local variety of orange blossom honey, and it's amazing. Any honey will work, and if it's too thick, microwave it for a few seconds.
Yogurt: Use plain Greek yogurt for the best creamy sauce.
Lime: Or lemon juice, fresh squeezed is best, and gives great flavor to the yogurt sauce.
Green Onion: Maybe you call them scallions? Either way, we want them sliced very thin. Garnish with Italian Parsley too.
Spices: Just a quarter teaspoon of red pepper flakes give the sweet potatoes a little heat, so good with the cool yogurt sauce over the top.
For the full recipe, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Wash and trim the ends off two pounds of large sweet potatoes. Skin off or on? It doesn't really matter. Yay for that. This recipe isn't fussy that way.
Cut into 3" wedges, and place in a large bowl.
Add the honey, tbsp extra-virgin olive oil and spicy mixture.
Roast the potatoes on a parchment paper lined baking rimmed baking sheet pan, arranged in a single layer so they roast and don't steam.
Remove from oven, place on serving platter and serve with yogurt sauce on the side or top.
To make a simple, plain yogurt sauce, here's all you do:
Combine yogurt, lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, kosher salt and olive oil in a small bowl.
Drizzle over the warm sweet potatoes for serving.
Be sure to line you baking sheet with parchment paper first, and place the potatoes evenly on top. If you crowd them, they won't cook evenly.
Position your sheet on the bottom rack of the oven, and turn them once about half-way through the cooking time with a spatula.
Total baking time is about 35-45 minutes, which will vary depending on your oven.
Look for fork-tender wedges that are slightly crispy and brown on the edges.
These roasted sweet potatoes are the perfect way to make a vegetable side dish throughout fall and winter for almost any meal. Try them alongside chicken, fish or turkey dinners served family style on a big, pretty serving platter. Great for the buffet table, too.
Can I cut these into sweet potatoes cubes instead of spears?
Yes you can! Just know that the total roasting time may adjust down. Also, try to make the cubes in roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
Can I use something other than lime juice?
Yes! Lemon juice or even orange juice would be delicious, and freshly squeezed is always best.
Can I use a sweetener besides honey?
The same amount of maple syrup would be wonderful to add flavor to these potatoes.
Can I use other fresh herbs instead of Italian Parsley?
Yes! Try chopped fresh cilantro or dill.
Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Yogurt Sauce
Spicy Roasted Sweet Potatoes are the perfect vegetable side dish for so many occasions!
Course: Side Dish
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
▢ 2 pounds Sweet Potatoes
▢ 2 tablespoons Honey or Maple Syrup
▢ 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
▢ 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper flakes
▢ 1/2 teaspoon Salt
▢ For the YOGURT SAUCE
▢ 1/2 cup Yogurt, plain, Greek
▢ 2 tablespoons Lime or lemon juice, fresh squeezed
▢ 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
▢ 1/2 teaspoon Salt and Pepper
▢ 3 tbsp. Italian Parsley, chopped fine
▢ 1 Green Onion, thin sliced white part only
Instructions
Heat the oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Wash, scrub and trim the ends off the potatoes.
Peel some of skin off with a small knife or potato peeler, then cut in half length-wise. See recipe notes.
Cut each piece into two or three wedges (1/2" each) and place in a large mixing bowl.
Add the honey, olive oil, crushed red pepper and salt to the bowl with the sweet potatoes, together until the potatoes are coated.
Place the potatoes evenly on the lined baking sheet scraping any of the olive oil mixture on the baking sheet too, also making sure the potatoes are laying flat on the baking sheet.
Roast the potatoes on the bottom rack of the oven, turning gently one time about half-way through.
Total time is 35-45 minutes, which will differ depending on your oven. Look for fork-tender wedges that are slightly brown and crispy on the edges and sides at 35 minutes, and add time accordingly.
Remove from oven, arrange on a platter and serve with yogurt sauce on the top or on the side or both.
For the YOGURT SAUCE
Combine the yogurt, lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small bowl and mix together with a spoon.
Drizzle the yogurt over the Sweet Potatoes for serving, along with a sprinkle of chopped Italian Parsley and sliced green onion.
OPTIONAL OUTDOOR GRILLING INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS RECIPE
Heat the grill (you'll need direct heat that's approximately 350 degrees) and prep the sweet potatoes by cutting them in 1/2 wedges as noted above.
Put the potates in a medium-sized bowl, and drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat them. Sprinkle with a little salt and toss one more time.
Place the wedges on the grill, cover them and cook until light grill marks appear, 4-5 minutes, then rotate to the other side. Continue rotating until the potatoes are tender, which will depend on the heat of your grill, but approximately 5-7 more minutes.
In the same bowl you just used, continue with the recipe and add the honey, olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt, whisking the ingredients together with a fork to combine.
When the sweet potatoe wedges are done, add them to the bowl and quickly toss to coat, then tranfer the potatoes to a serving dish and serve with the yogurt sauce on the side or drizzled on top.
Notes
Be sure to line you baking sheet with parchment paper first, and place the potatoes evenly on top. If you crowd them, they won’t cook evenly.
Position your sheet on the bottom rack of the oven, and turn them once about half-way through the cooking time with a spatula.
Total baking time is about 35-45 minutes, which will vary depending on your oven.
Look for fork-tender wedges that are slightly crispy and brown on the edges.
These roasted sweet potatoes are the perfect way to make a vegetable side dish throughout fall and winter for almost any meal. Try them alongside chicken, fish or turkey dinners too!
You can use Yams in this recipe if you prefer, they are just as good!
I peel some of the skin off the potatoes, randomly and not perfectly for a rustic look.