Baked Purple Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Garlic
If you’re looking for a baked purple sweet potato recipe that’s as gorgeous as it is delicious, you’re in the right place. These roasted purple sweet potatoes get tossed with a deeply savory mix of ginger, garlic, scallions, jalapeños, and shallots for a colorful side dish that feels special enough for the holidays but easy enough for a weeknight.
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Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 pounds purple sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in half vertically
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 8 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 jalapeños, thinly sliced
- 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss sweet potatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet and roast until tender, about 20-25 minutes depending on how big they are.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking until ginger is soft, about 15-20 minutes more.
- Remove sweet potatoes from oven, transfer to a serving dish, top with garlic mixture and serve.
Notes
- Sautéing the aromatics: Keep the heat moderate when cooking the garlic, scallions, jalapeños, shallots, and ginger so they soften and turn fragrant without burning.
- Buying purple sweet potatoes: Look for firm, deeply colored purple sweet potatoes (Stokes or Okinawan) for the best texture and color. You can find purple sweet potatoes at Asian markets, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.
- Ginger: The ginger should be cut into very thin matchsticks so it becomes tender and pleasantly chewy, not fibrous.
- Heat level: This dish is moderate to very spicy depending on how hot the jalapeños are. If you are sensitive to heat, slice the jalapeños thinly and remove the seeds or use less jalapeños.