Roasted Sweet Potato Tian with Parsley Salsa Verde
This Sweet Potato Roast is the perfect side dish. The sweet potatoes are roasted to perfection and are crispy on the outside and soft, tender on the inside. Topped with zesty Parsley Salsa Verde, each bite is an amazing combination of sweet, lemony, garlicky, zesty goodness.
See notes for additional add-ins and substitutions!
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375F.
Combine the 2 tablespoons melted butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Spread about ¼ of the butter/oil mixture on the bottom of an 8x8 inch (or similar size) baking pan or cast-iron skillet. Season the bottom of the pan well with more salt and pepper.
Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Chop off the ends that are too small and use them for another dish. Use a mandoline to slice the sweet potatoes into thin, even slices. Wear cut-resistant gloves to protect your fingers!
Arrange the sweet potato slices in the baking pan. Do this by grabbing a bunch of the slices at the same time so they stick to each other and you can just place them in the baking pan standing up.
Insert slices of red onion in between every 2-3 potato slices. You don't have to be exact, just start sticking them in there. Try to really stuff the dish because the potatoes will shrink a little as they bake.
Brush the tops of the potatoes with the rest of the butter/oil mixture, and season well with salt and pepper.
Cover with foil and bake at 375F for 35-45 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fully cooked and almost pierced with a fork in the center.
Remove the foil and turn the heat up to 420F. Bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked and easily pierced with a fork.
Serve warm, topping with salsa verde (see recipe below). You can drizzle the sauce over the whole dish, or serve it on the side.
Parsley salsa verde:
In a small food processor or personal blender, combine the parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, capers, and about 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Process until all the parsley is finely chopped. Add more olive oil as needed until you reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
→ Sweet potatoes: I typically use 3 lb of sweet potatoes for an 8-inch baking dish (6 medium-large sweet potatoes), but sometimes need more if I have to trim off several inches off the ends if they're thin. Try to get sweet potatoes that are the same thickness so they will cook evenly, and make sure to slice them thinly and evenly (that's why a mandoline is highly recommended!). Your choice if you want to peel the sweet potatoes or just scrub them thoroughly. → Red onion: Try to get onions that are the Depending on the size of the onion, you might need 1 or 2 onions. You can use shallots instead of red onion. → Try adding some freshly grated Parmesan on top of the sweet potatoes before roasting, or grated sharp cheese.→ Spice it up! Add any combination of cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, ground coriander to the olive oil + butter mixture and use that to brush onto the sweet potatoes.→ Parsley: Feel free to sub half the parsley for fresh cilantro.→ Other salsa verde substitutions: You can use lime juice instead of lemon juice, add a pinch of cayenne pepper for spice, skip the capers if you don't love a sharp salty vinegary flavor. If skipping the capers, I recommend using more salt, or adding Parmesan cheese to make a pesto-type sauce.