Mystery Lovers' Kitchen: roasted sweet potato

Monday, May 12, 2025

A New Way to Eat Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Korina Moss

KORINA MOSS: I love sweet potatoes--baked, casserole, roasted, you name it. But dinner usually consists of me throwing something together in ten minutes. That's okay for a microwaved sweet potato but not conducive for bringing out the most flavor. It was only when I saw a breakfast bowl on a menu a few months ago that I realized I hadn't been stretching the bounds of my breakfasts the way I should be. Now, I roast a sweet potato when I have the time and use it for three days' worth of hearty breakfasts.

INGREDIENTS FOR ROASTING SWEET POTATO:

Sweet potato

olive oil

garlic

chili powder - This is really good for sweet potato fries too!

salt (not shown)

parchment paper (optional, not shown)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°

Wash sweet potato and pat dry.

With skin on, cut it in cubes of fairly even sizes.

Put in a bowl and drizzle 1 TBL (more or less depending on your preference) olive oil on them. Using your hands, gently toss sweet potatoes so olive oil is distributed. Some people drizzle the olive oil on the potatoes after putting them on the tray, but I find the oil is more evenly distributed this way.

Sprinkle on chili powder, garlic, and salt. Toss again. You may need to sprinkle more on the pieces that didn't get any.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on baking sheet. It's okay if you don't use parchment paper, but it makes clean up a lot easier and none of the potatoes stick.

Bake in a preheated 425° oven for about 25 minutes. They should be browned and soft enough to eat but not mushy.

If you want to use them to make a breakfast bowl, here are some INGREDIENT suggestions:

Egg(s) - make them the way you prefer. I like poached.

Vegetables - I always have frozen broccoli, corn, and edamame on hand, so I use them. They're crunchy and their flavors go well with the smooth sweet potatoes.

Kale - I like to add some uncooked kale (or a mix from a salad bag) for a little extra texture. I might put just a titch of olive oil on it.

Avocado - I didn't have any this time, but I do love it.

DIRECTIONS:

Cook your eggs the way you like them.

Thaw frozen vegetables (or use fresh), then heat them in a tsp of olive oil in a stovetop pan. Add garlic and salt. Add some of the sweet potatoes if you've pre-roasted them. You're just doing it for a few minutes -- long enough to heat everything. For 1 serving, you don't need the entire sweet potato.

Put a little kale mix in a bowl with a smidge of olive oil. Toss.

Add cooked veggies and roasted sweet potatoes. Top with eggs.

Add salt and pepper if desired. To go salt-free, I like Mrs. Dash Everything But the Salt.

Enjoy!

Put the leftover roasted sweet potatoes in a tupperware. They keep well for about 5 days. Once you've got them roasted, this is an easy and tasty meal, filling enough for any time of the day.

Chopped so you can see ingredients

Readers: How do you like your sweet potatoes? Have you ever had a breakfast bowl?

KORINA MOSS is the author of the Cheese Shop cozy mystery series set in the Sonoma Valley, including the Agatha Award winner of the Best First Novel, Cheddar Off Dead, and the Agatha Award finalist for Best Contemporary Novel for Case of the Bleus and Fondue or Die. Listed as one of USA Today’s Best Cozy Mystery series, her books have also been featured in PARADE Magazine, Woman’s World, and Writer’s Digest. For more information or to subscribe to her free monthly Team Cheese newsletter, go to korinamossauthor.com

Cheese Shop Mystery #6 is now available. Buy here.

Korina is also a freelance developmental editor specializing in cozy and traditional mysteries. Using her experience writing her award-winning series for a Big 5 publisher, she has the inside track on what editors, agents, and readers are looking for in a mystery. Whether you're a new writer hoping to be traditionally or independently published, or you're an established writer wanting some guidance with a manuscript, she can help you strengthen your book. You can find more information and client testimonials on her website and contact her at korinamossauthor@gmail.com.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Roasted Sweet Potato, Fennel and Lentil #recipe from Essie Lang, #book giveaway

In the perfect world, I would have checked my cupboards first, before starting this dish, to make sure I had green lentils on hand. Instead, I ended up using red ones. Not this this doesn't taste good, it's just that the green would have added more color. We eat first with our eyes, right?

Having said that, I ended up changing most of the other ingredients, too. So, this recipe that I got in a digest form from Bon Appetit, was an inspiration.

I love roasting veggies and I like playing with different combinations. So, I've added fennel to the mix. And instead of various herbs and spices, I chose to use a Milanese Gremolato olive oil I recently bought. Love the flavor!

And, I didn't have a harissa paste on hand so I used powder, in the same amount.

This makes a tasty side dish for any meat or fish. Or, enjoy on its own with a green salad and dinner roll. It also works hot or cold.

What you'll need:

1 c. red lentils, rinsed
1 sweet potato, rinsed and sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 fennel, sliced
3 1/2 tbsp. virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. harissa powder or paste
1 1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar (or red)
1/2 tbsp. honey
pinches of salt and black pepper
fennel fronds for garnish

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse lentils then add them to water and cook according to package instructions. Drain and transfer to a bowl.

2. Whisk half of the olive oil, half of the harissa powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

3. Slice vegetables and halve the tomatoes. Add the olive oil mixture and then place the veggies on a baking sheet, on parchment paper. Roast for 25 minutes, tossing once.

4. Whisk vinegar, honey and remaining harissa in a bowl. While stirring, stir in the olive oil until emulsified. Add pinch of salt. Mix half of this into the lentils and reserve the rest to drizzle over the plated meal.

5. Serve with lentils on bottom and topped with veggies. Drizzle and then add fennel fronds.

To celebrate the release of my new book, new series, and new name -- I'll give away a copy of TROUBLE ON THE BOOKS to someone who's name I'll draw on Friday after 6 PM EDT.

Just tell me about your favorite bookstore! And be sure to leave your email contact.

It's now available -- the first of the Castle Bookshop Mysteries

TROUBLE ON THE BOOKS

written by Essie Lang (that's me!)

Dine out with the DINNER CLUB MYSTERIES

Here's a taste of the reviews for Marinating in Murder, #3:

Wiken’s third entry to the Dinner Club series is a clever twist on the classic whodunit… The book will have you guessing until the very end…. All in all, an intriguing read by Wiken.” – RT Reviews

"Foodies will love this book and this series. Great recipes are included as well....A fun romp of intrigue filled with foodie fun." -- Open Book Society