Spotlighting the Sweet Potato

Sweet potato strips with za’atar

Have you ever noticed how some vegetables and/or food stuff become ‘fashionable’? It can be anything from pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, sugared pecan nuts or salty caramel sweets.

Suddenly the latest ‘in’ food is seen everywhere and everyone is raving about it as if it had never existed before. Special dishes are made in its honour, cooking shows outdo with each other with creative uses, a flood of new recipe books are written and no self-respecting restaurant dare not server the latest IT food.

And of course the more popular the latest food discovery becomes, the more you pay for it. And now it seems that the humble sweet potato has became the latest food craze. It is indeed a wonderful vegetable and has been a firm favourite of mine for a long time. I have sung it praises already in my blog something like six years ago.

My first formal introduction to the lovely orange sweet potato happened in the kibbutz kitchen where I worked while I was studying Hebrew. It was one of those cheap staples that we often made and which never had any left-overs.

It seems as though the humble sweet potato has now become a firm favourite with the paleo and vegetarian crowd. Cannot say that I blame them. Though it seems as if its popularity has caused asteady increase in price.

The sweet potato is a great source of minerals, vitamins and fiber. And it tastes really delicious too. You can read about all its wonderfull-ness, here at the Natural News.

So without further ado, while we can still afford it (!), here is an easy-peasy recipe for sweet potatoes that tastes as delicious as it looks:

Sweet Potato Strips with Za’atar

2 – 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into strips
Pinch of salt
Two table-spoons of good olive oil
Za’atar spices – this spice blend is very popular in Israel and can be found in every spice shop and supermarket. If you do not live in Israel, I recommend using dried oregano, dried thyme or pizza spices. The sweet potatoes are also delicious with just a pinch of salt.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celcius (360 degrees Fahrenheit) 2. Prepare the sweet potato strips and place on a baking sheet on your baking tray.
3. Add the olive oil and salt and cover the strips properly (just use your hands!)
4. Turn the strips around occasionally and bake until they are soft, about 30 minutes.
5. Place the sweet potato strips in a nice dish and sprinkle with the za’atar spices
6. Serve and enjoy.