Baked Sweet Potatoes with Garlic and Chili
Sweet potato rounds inspired by sweet Patatas Bravas from Valencia. The pan-fried potatoes were accompanied by a very garlicky and very spicy aioli. But as much as I like the combination, the truth is I would not cook them that way too often at home.
So I transformed and simplified them to become a side dish more suited to our way of eating. I baked the potatoes in the oven, which reduced the frying and time spent by the pan. It takes longer in the oven, but they do not need watching and with this method their flavor concentrates and the inside becomes slightly gummy. You will like it! Then I seasoned them with garlic and chili to preserve the Valencia taste and added a little lemon zest.
Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes (with as regular shape as possible; approx. 200g each)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
zest from 1/4 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Servings: 3-4
How to prepare baked sweet potatoes with garlic and chili
- Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler. Cut off the pointed tips. Slice the rest into thick rounds (approx. 2 cm).
- Sprinkle the rounds with salt and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix well.
- Arrange the rounds in a baking tray (lined with parchment paper), leaving a little distance between them. The cut tips can be placed between the rounds if there is room. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and press the edges so the potatoes are somewhat sealed inside.
- Bake at 200C for 25 minutes.
- Remove the top paper and leave in the oven for another 30 minutes, until the rounds are nicely browned on the edges. Watch them, and if after 20 minutes they become too brown, you can flip them (when I used the extra-browning program they needed to be flipped because they caramelized more; with the top-bottom program flipping was not necessary).
- Meanwhile, crush the garlic with a little salt in a mortar until it becomes a paste. Add the lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes and 1 tablespoon of oil and mix well using the pestle. Let it sit until the potatoes are ready.
- Transfer the rounds to a serving platter and brush with the aromatic oil, most easily using a silicone brush. Sprinkle with the remaining chili flakes and a little coarse salt. They are good warm or at room temperature.
