Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

With Fresh & Tasty Marjoram!

If you haven’t tried roasted sweet potatoes yet, you’re missing out! They’re one of the easiest plants to grow, highly nutritious & tasty, and act as the perfect component in main dishes or sides in countless delicious recipes.Sweet potatoes are also an excellent addition to any food forest. You can grow them as ground cover between fruiting trees or berry bushes. And since both the leaves and tubers are edible, they’re an ideal crop that fits the profile for both the ground and root layer in your food forest planting arrangement. However, avoid growing them in areas of deep shade. Ensure that the leaves receive around six hours of full sun each day to guarantee a productive crop.

Preparation

Our roasted sweet potatoes and marjoram dish highlights the sweet and savory taste profile of the sweet potatoes it contains. Sweet potatoes can be stored in a cool pantry for three to five weeks. They last around three months if stored in the fridge and can last even longer stored in the freezer.It can either be served as a side or main meal and is vegetarian friendly. Everything in this recipe, from the sweet potatoes to the marjoram, garlic, and chives, can be sourced and grown in your food forest!

Ingredients

This recipe contains a wide variety of fresh herbs, vegetables, and roots! If you have all of them in your food forest, great! If not, no worries, your local farmer's market or grocer will likely have what you're missing. 

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, finely chopped
• 2 or more whole sprigs of fresh marjoram for garnish
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh chive, chopped (optional)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
• Fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 F.
2. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil and marjoram.
3. Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on two baking sheets.
4. Set one sheet on the top rack and one sheet on the bottom rack.
5. Roast sweet potatoes for 10 minutes. Stir and switch positions of the sheets in the oven and roast for another 5 minutes or until browned on the edges.
6. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of garlic on each batch of sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Roast 5 minutes more until browned or crisped.
7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and parsley.
8. Garnish with fresh marjoram sprigs before serving.

Takeaway

All of the herbs and the sweet potatoes used in this recipe can be grown in food forests of all sizes, even with limited space. You can cultivate a food forest in raised beds, wicking beds, or container gardens, and many more places! Once you plant sweet potatoes they will thrive in a short time frame and supply you with multiple bountiful harvests. You may even have to regularly trim back their quickly creeping leaves before they overtake other herbs or vegetables surrounding them.When it’s time to harvest, you’re rewarded with the satisfying experience of digging up a bunch of potatoes that are often much bigger than you expected. This nutrient-dense vegetable is definitely one to add to your list when planning your food forest. If you’re interested in learning more about growing your own food forest, see our blueprints, and check out our blog for more tips, recipes, and exciting new content!