Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

Before you get started cutting potatoes, you might want to boil your water so it’s ready to go. It will cut down on your wait time……just grab a big pot and fill it with water. Add salt, because we all know that potatoes without salt is like baked oatmeal without syrup.

So, you need sweet potatoes, salt, olive oil, butter, brown sugar (I use sucanat), cumin, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. These spices are going to come together and make magic.

When the water is boiling, add the potatoes. They need to be peeled and sliced pretty thick. I think these are like 1 inch thick. The recipe states  1 ¼ inches thick…..so, just guesstimate. You only need to boil them until they start to get soft….don’t boil them until they’re done because we have to bake them. Try 12 minutes and then test them. Mine were perfect after that time.

While the potatoes are boiling, mix your spices together in a small bowl. I used my hands to do it to make sure that the sugar was all mixed in. I tried a whisk, but it didn’t do the trick. If you want something done right, use your hands.

We’re using oil AND butter for this one – double whammy. You won’t be sorry – it’s totally worth it…..gives it a nice crispy flavor. Don’t trust a skinny cook, and my butt is ever expanding. Mix the oil with melted butter.

When the potatoes are done, drain them for about 10 minutes on a wire rack. It will let the oil make them a tad bit more crispy. Crispy = happiness.

After 10 minutes, place them on a foil covered cookie sheet. It doesn’t need to be greased because we’re going to take care of that…….my cake instructor used to say “right now in a minute.” How does THAT make any sense? We’ll get to the greasing part, right now in a minute. Take your potato masher and slightly mash each slice. Did you know that “smush” isn’t a word? I just tried to type it and got a red underline……weird.

See? You want them sorta flattened, but not so that they come apart. You still need them to be all in one piece because we’re going to flip them right now in a minute.

We’ll grease them. Brush each slice with the oil/butter mixture. Oh baby.

Sprinkle each slice liberally with seasoning. Don’t skimp……you’ll be sorry.

Now, time to flip! Be careful so they don’t fall apart. I used a spatula and my hands. Once again – if you want something done right, use your hands.

Season the other side with what remains of your seasoning.  We’re packing in lots of flavor right here buddy.

Stick them in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. When the 20 minutes are done, flip them. Be careful because they’re softer now.  Let them go 10 minutes more.

I wanted mine crispy, so even though the recipe doesn’t state it, I broiled mine for a few minutes to get them just right. I didn’t do this the first time and they were good, but the broiled version was way better in my opinion.  I let them go 5 minutes and that was almost too long. Try 4 minutes.

Here they are in all their crispy glory! Hallelujah! It’s okay if you’re drooling right now. They are just divine and a wonderful take on traditional sweet potatoes. Try them soon – but don’t stand too close to your mama.