Jerk Roasted Sweet Potatoes

30 minutes prep 30 minutes active cooking 1 hour total

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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Nina Comptom grew up in St Lucia in the Caribbean...

but her New Orleans restaurants Compere Lapin and Bywater American Bistro established Compton as a critical element in the Crescent City’s culinary identity. These heavily seasoned sweet potatoes are adapted from her recipe.

Photo from @ninacompton

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

3 large sweet potatoes, preferably orange varieties
1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon of allspice
1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, ground or freshly crushed
1 habanero chile
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

From our shop

1/4 cup of Okinawan Brown Sugar
$9.00– Hatermuma Island - Japan

1/4 cup of Silk Chili
$10.00– Kahramanmaras - Turkey

2 teaspoons of Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily

Out of stock

1/2 cup of Madre Terra
$29.00– Sicily - Italy

Equipment

From the kitchen

1 Chef's Knife
1 Cutting Board
1 Heavy Skillet

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes (peeling optional).

Step 2

Use mortar and pestle to grind together the sugar (the Okinawan sugar can be lumpy), cumin seeds, allspice, silk chili and peppercorns (a blender or spice grinder will work, too). If you’re using the habanero, chop it very finely; removing the seeds and white membrane will cut the heat a bit. Add to the sweet potatoes, mix until evenly coated.

Step 3

Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast for 20-30 minutes, stirring a few times, until they can be pierced easily with a fork and are nicely browned.