Older and Wiser

Growing up, I thought peas grew in cans on vines in the ultimate act of convenience.  Salads consisted of iceberg lettuce and shaved carrots and most potatoes adorning our plates came in tot form.   

MamaBear, an admitted picky eater and freaked out by most textures, is not a bad cook, she just isn’t very adventurous. Comfort foods were her forte; a fantastic monkey bread, to-die-for beef stew and a mac and cheese good enough to solve the conflict in the Middle East (if the diners didn’t first drop dead of a heart attack after consuming a lead brick of cheese, milk and butter). She also had much bigger things to worry about than slaving over a stove for hours every night.  The weekly dinners of Hamburger Helper probably explains my sodium lust and aversion to very large white gloves that talk.

Given these examples of fine dining, it is understandable that I thought sweet potatoes were exclusively a tuber served at Thanksgiving, mashed with pineapple and smothered in marshmallows.  There isn’t one thing wrong with this-it is like vegetables that are also candy-but it’s like I thought sweet potatoes ceased to exist outside of the fourth Thursday of November.

I had some qualms about even posting this “recipe”, but I cannot be the only person always looking for something more exciting than frozen broccoli to accompany my veggie burgers.  It’s basic, but a nice change of pace. They are perfect little starchy treats that are nutritious and incredibly flavorful.  In more hedonistic times, I would have dipped these in sour cream, so people with better metabolisms than me, please let it rip.  I dipped a few in plain low fat yogurt for a bit of tang, but I ate the majority plain and unadorned.  There is not one thing plain about these, though.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes 1 ½ tbs olive oil

1 tablespoon ground cumin

Salt (I am liberal-see effect of years of Hamburger Helper above)

Preheat oven to 425°. Julienne sweet potatoes in to ½” thick matchsticks.  Toss with olive oil, cumin and salt.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, tossing once half way through.  Fries should be crispy.  Serves 4.