Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries - from Homegrown

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries
Recipe by Mairlyn Smith, P.H.Ec.
Excerpted from Homegrown, by Mairlyn Smith. Reprinted with permission of Whitecap Books, 2015.

The perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. Depending on the size of your turkey and how much oven space you have, this festive vegetable dish can be made the day of—or up to two days in advance— then warmed up in the oven while your turkey is having its “time out.”
It’s also worth noting that this recipe can easily be halved.

INGREDIENTS

2 lb (1 kg) chopped sweet potatoes (approx. 4 medium or large sweet potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm cubes)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
2 cups (500 mL) fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries
1 cup (250 mL) natural apple juice (see note below)
1 Tbsp (15 mL) pure maple syrup

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a 12 1/2- × 13 1/2-inch (3.5 L) covered casserole dish with wet parchment paper (see page 388).
2. In a large bowl toss together the sweet potatoes with oil and cinnamon. Add fresh or frozen cranberries and dried cranberries, toss.
3. Tip into prepared pan. Pour the apple juice over. Drizzle with maple syrup. Cover with the lid or parchment paper and bake in the oven.
4. Bake for 60 to 85 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very soft. Serve.

Ingredient Note:

Natural Apple Juice—Natural apple juice is made from whole apples, including the peel, making it a more nutrient dense choice. Usually found where fresh cold juice is sold.

Is It a Sweet Potato or a Yam?

One of my personal pet peeves is the incorrect labelling of sweet potatoes and yams. Yams are covered in slightly hairy fibres and arenative to China and Africa. Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America and are grown mostly in Ontario. They have a beige, orange, yellow or purple flesh. Nutrient-dense and full of fibre, sweet potatoes need to be stored in a cool dark place, not in the fridge which will harden them. Available all year long at your local grocery store.

PHEc Tips:

•    You can prepare this recipe a day or two in advance of serving; ignore step 4 and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are just tender. Remove from the oven and cool, refrigerating for up to two days. On the day you want to serve, finish cooking in the oven and bake for 20 to 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft and the dish has heated through.
•    If you’re not using a stainless steel knife, the sweet potatoes may turn brown when you cut them.

Makes approx. 6 cups (1.5 L) One serving = 1/2 cup (125 mL)
Per serving: 121 Calories, 1.4 g Total Fat, 0.1 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 47 mg Sodium,
26.8 g Carbohydrate, 3.6 g Fibre, 10.8 g Sugars, 3.7 g Added Sugars, 1.4 g Protein
Carbohydrate Choices: 1 ½