Do The Chunky Sweet Potato! [Rhonda]

Degree of difficulty: soooo easy
Time: 2 minutes prep, 15 to bake
Serves: 2

It's as easy as peeling two sweet potatoes, cutting them into chunks and baking them in the oven with 4 secret ingredients that I know you have in the cupboard. And with chunks, you get a little break from the marshmallow-topped super-sweet sweet potato you'll be having at Aunt Cindy's for Thanksgiving. Maybe you can even convert her...

Do the Chunky Sweet Potato!
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes or chunks, about 3/4 inch size
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Maple syrup (I am loathe to admit I have used Aunt Jemima's pancake syrup in a pinch)
(This particular night I added a few sage leaves for the last five minutes of baking, but that's totally optional. But if you do use fresh sage, don't overcook it--then it has no flavor.)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto a cookie sheet, place the sweet potato chunks on the cookie sheet and stir to coat the chunks with a little oil. (If you've been overzealous with the pour, mop up a bit of it with a paper towel.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.




Bake on the top rack in the oven for about 12 minutes. Remove, add 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or more if you're a sweet freak), stir, and return to the oven, again top rack, for 3 to 5 minutes.

Suggested soundtrack: Ciara's "Gimmie Dat." Like the recipe, the song is fast-paced.