Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

One of the biggest disadvantages of growing up in the 80's was the lack of variety and flavor that existed on dinner plates. There was no such thing as the Food Network, the internet did not exist in households, cooking magazines consisted of Redbook and the only cookbook on our shelf was the "Joy of Cooking" which in our house, when opened, the seams cracked as seams do when a book goes completely unused. On top of this, my Mom was busy being the 80's superwoman which meant she did everything that was expected of a 50's housewife while working the job of a man. My Mom was and still is incredible so I will not give her flack on what wound up on our dinner plates. There was a protein, a starch and a vegetable and fast food never made an appearance and I think that is quite a feat for everything she was juggling.

So, that said, I like to put as much variety on my son's plate as possible and to that end, I absolutely adore sweet potatoes! Not only do they look appetizing which is vital in getting it into the child's mouth but I love the taste. I never had these growing up and I remember tasting them for the first time in my early 20's and falling in love on the spot. You don't even have to use this recipe. Sweet potatoes can be peeled, cut into spears, tossed with olive oil and salt and roasted at 420 for 45 minutes and still be amazing. However, this recipe does dress them up quite a bit and can be a special treat. Enjoy!

**P.S. Hug your Mom, tell her you love her and everything she did/does for you.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
pinch of cardamon
pinch cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
kosher or fleur de sal to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into speared fries. Place the spears on a rimmed sheet pan, set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Pour the oil and sugar mixture onto the sweet potatoes and toss together with a spoon or clean hands. Place in the oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes until tender. Turn the pan once and re-toss the mixture with a spatula halfway through roasting.