Sweet Potatoes are such a great receptacle for flavor, in that they have a fantastic flavor all their own, but at the same time take on both sweet and savory flavor easily. Our pallets haven’t just adapted more and more to the combination of savory and sweet in each bite, we actually are now craving it. The sweet potato is the perfect place to start working on your own combination of savory and sweet, and east meets west.
Silan – date honey, though very sweet also has a savory note to it and will easily carry both the garlic and sage in this recipe. Dates are the perfect foil for the savory notes and the starch in the sweet potatoes help balance and bring the whole dish together.
- 1.25 kilos (2.5 lbs) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm (1 inch) pieces
- 2 heads garlic, separated but not peeled
- 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- (¼ cup) silan (date honey)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 10g (about 16 large leaves) fresh sage
- 4 Medjool dates, chopped
- Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heat oven to 200℃ (400℉).
- Place the sweet potatoes and garlic in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine as best as possible the olive oil, silan, and salt. Once mixed, pour over the sweet potatoes and garlic and toss until everything is well coated. Spread the coated vegetables on a roasting dish in a single layer, roast for 20-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes begin to brown, turning once during baking.
- Sprinkle the sage leaves over the sweet potatoes, and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are caramelized and the garlic is tender.
- Spread the chopped dates evenly amongst the roasted sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
