“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” said Leonardo Da Vinci. Imagine a perfectly tailored little black dress that hugs every curve perfectly making the wearer look the best she has ever looked. Other than a perfect coiffure, shoes, and make up, the outfit doesn’t need much else. In fact, adding too many accessories would only distract from the beauty of the dress and the wearer in it.
This recipe is similar to the little black dress. Each one of the three ingredients bursts with flavor making it unnecessary to add much else. Using so few ingredients allows each one to shine when cooked properly. The thing about simple dishes is that there isn’t much room for errors. Roast the potatoes a few minutes too long and they’ll burn leaving you without a dish to eat. I’d say that the most difficult thing about this dish is keeping an eye on the sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds to make sure they don’t burn. One final note is that sweet potatoes aren’t that easy to cut, so make sure you have a good knife. It also helps to buy smaller sized potatoes.
I hope you enjoy this rustic, hearty yet surprisingly easy to make and very healthy dish.
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes ( 2 cups) chopped in 1/2 inch x 1/2 cubes (approximately)
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil for the sweet potatoes (I used olive oil)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil for the pumpkin seeds
About 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Heat the oven to 350 F. Peel the potatoes and chop them in cubes. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and sprinkle with vegetable oil. Using a pastry brush, spread the oil evenly. Add the potatoes in a single layer. Brush the potatoes with the pastry brush. Alternatively, you can use cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin. Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven for about 25-30 minutes or until done. The potatoes are done when you can easily pierce them with a fork.
Line a second baking sheet with aluminum foil and sprinkle with vegetable oil or spray with cooking spray. Spread the pumpkin seeds in one layer and sprinkle with salt and cumin. Add them to the oven once the potatoes have about 5 minutes left. Pumpkin seeds toast very fast so keep an eye on them and stir them each time you check on them. You will hear the pumpkin seeds pop in the oven which I think is fun.
Mix the sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds in a bowl. You may also want to sprinkle a bit of olive oil and a dash of cumin.
Serve as an appetizer, a side dish, or on its own. I served this as a side dish to steak once and it went really well.
Serves about 2 people as a side dish or appetizer. Adjust the ingredients accordingly when cooking for more folks. I ate the entire bowl by myself as a full meal. It's very filling.
Bon appetit! :)
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