Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes
November 20th, 2007
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I know a lot of you have probably already planned your Thanksgiving menu, but I thought I’d put up this easy side dish just in case. It’s just a simple candied sweet potato dish, but the addition of lime really makes it special for me. You can throw fresh parsley on the top, or if you’re feeling a bit less traditional, fresh coriander (cilantro).
I think sometimes people forget that the cut of the vegetable you choose is really important for the overall texture and flavor of a dish. This dish will almost definitely work without slicing the sweet potatoes so thinly, but the delicate candied rounds give it an elegant appearance and uniform texture. Every bite becomes infused with the sweet lime syrup. I used a Japanese mandoline that allowed me to quickly slice the sweet potatoes evenly and efficiently. If I was working with only a knife, I wouldn’t attempt to get slices this thin and accurate. Thicker coins or chunks will work just as well, but if you have a mandoline, this is the perfect dish to use it for. The slicing disc of your food processor will also work.
Candied Lime Sweet Potatoes
Serves Four
2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 tsp Molasses
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Fresh Lime Juice (no bottled stuff!)
Zest from 1 Small Lime
1/2 tsp Minced Ginger or 1/4 tsp Ginger Powder, optional
Black Pepper, to taste
Earth Balance, for dotting
Parsley or Cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400º F.
Slice sweet potatoes thinly, about 1/8″, with a mandoline or a food processor. Mix remaining ingredients (except pepper, earth balance and garnish) together to form a paste. Coat the sliced sweet potatoes well with the lime sugar mixture.
Arrange the coated slices in overlapping rows in one layer in an oiled casserole dish. Dot with earth balance, sprinkle with pepper, and wrap tightly with two layers of aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. It’s okay if it looks a little watery when you remove the foil, it’ll reduce and form a nice glaze during the rest of the baking. Finish under the broiler to brown the top. Sprinkle with parsley/cilantro and serve immediately.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
31 Comments Add your own
1. VincentG | November 20th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
I love sweet potatoes. I usually eat them at least a few times a week, although lately it’s been mostly regular potatoes. This looks like a great approach!
2. Rachael | November 20th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
that looks so beautiful! I bet the lime flavor is awesome. Can’t make these for thanksgiving day (my family is SO not adventurous when it comes to food!) but maybe for our “all vegan wheat-free” post-thanksgiving celebration.
3. jessica~ | November 20th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Those look sooooo delicious! I love sweet potato and lime. I’m planning on making this dish as soon as thanksgiving has passed!
4. the village vegan | November 20th, 2007 at 5:48 pm
That looks really good…it’s making me think I should give sweet potatoes another shot!
And what are YOU making for thanksgiving? I’d love to ehar!
5. Lisa | November 20th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Ooh, I’ve been wanting to get a mandoline! Is the one you linked to on Amazon the exact one you have? Are you pretty happy with it? I can’t quite tell from the photo - does is basically store flat? And is it easy to clean? The sweet potato dish looks fabulous, by the way. Great photography too.
6. Christine | November 20th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
this looks spectacular, thanks for sharing! I think I’m going to have to ask for a mandoline for christmas
7. VeggieGirl | November 20th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
wow, what a gorgeous, innovative way to serve up sweet potatoes!! yum!!
8. vegetation | November 20th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Oooo yum! These look amazing. Definitely going to have to try them! Plus I have a mandoline slicer that’s been sitting in my cupboard cause I don’t know what to do with it, now I have an excuse to use it!
9. Vegyogini | November 21st, 2007 at 1:21 am
Lolo, what a beautiful dish! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and the photos!
10. Helen | November 21st, 2007 at 5:52 am
I hope you find a publisher for your book. Your recipes look so good. I’m not even near to being a vegan, but I love good vegetables.
11. Mani | November 21st, 2007 at 6:02 am
Thanks for that recipe. It sounds and looks very good.
Mjam, now I am hungry :o)
12. Suzie | November 21st, 2007 at 10:08 am
That looks so good. I love easy meals that look like they took a lot. I wish I had sweet potatoes at my house, but alas, I do not. I am too afraid to do anymore food shopping today. The supermarkets are probably madhouses!
13. andreea | November 21st, 2007 at 10:19 am
i am not sure what earth balance is (?) but this dish looks delicious and such a great alternative to the usual
14. Alex | November 21st, 2007 at 10:57 am
Andreea, Earth Balance is a type of non-dairy butter substitute. And I’m pretty sure it’s not technically margarine (I’m not sure what margarine is, technically). It’s made from a blend of healthy vegetable oils.
15. Lolo | November 21st, 2007 at 11:07 am
The Village Vegan - What am I having? Well, Stewart and I are hitting the road to see his family this year. We usually bring some food along, though his family really does a lot to accommodate us. We haven’t decided what we’re having yet (I know, it’s tomorrow!), so I need to go to the store ASAP and see what I can grab! I’m kind of afraid of the mobs, though!
Lisa - Yes, that’s the one I have! It’s sort of difficult to see in that picture. They come in two sizes, and I linked to the larger size. I bought the bigger one to do things like cabbage. It’s much less complicated to use than other mandolines and the blade is really sharp. The downsides: the blade will rust if you don’t dry it right away, the safety guard is a joke, and the blade is set by screws on the bottom that can be hard align evenly. It does store flat and it’s easy to clean, overall I’m happy with my purchase!
Thanks for answering the EB question, Alex!
16. Mike | November 21st, 2007 at 11:44 am
We’ve been making Alice Waters’ Sweet Potato recipe for years (baked whole with lime and cilantro) it’s so yummy. And this sounds even better with the crispy candy syrup. Yummy. This is a must try.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!!!
17. Cathie | November 21st, 2007 at 12:08 pm
These look fantastic. I love lime and I never would have thought of putting on sweet potatoes like this. I’ve already planned for tomorrow, but I’ll make these next week. Thanks for sharing!
18. Lisa | November 21st, 2007 at 2:00 pm
It’s not too late to add to our Thanksgiving meal, so thank you! My memories of sweet potatoes are of the brown sugared and marshmallowed variety. This dish looks *much* more to my liking, and I bet the lime/cilantro flavoring will please the palates of our Mexican guests.
19. cherie | November 22nd, 2007 at 9:20 am
Happy Thankslliving to you, too!
20. Kate | November 22nd, 2007 at 9:59 am
Oh wow! Those sweet potatoes looks awesome! Happy Thanksgiving!
21. karrie | November 22nd, 2007 at 10:23 am
Mmmmm! Too late for today, but I’m going to try these. How can I not try something with fresh lime juice? Yum.
22. Hanne | November 22nd, 2007 at 11:20 am
I could eat sweet potatoes every day, I think. I love this recipe because you could do it in so many ways, changing the flavours to suit the meal.
23. SaraJane | November 22nd, 2007 at 11:43 am
What a creative way to make sweet potatoes. It looks fantastic.
24. Kerry | November 23rd, 2007 at 9:16 am
Yum, these were DELICIOUS! I made them to go with our Thanksgiving meal and they may just have been my favorite thing. You were right about the lime, too. I am not a huge lime fan but it was very complimentary in this dish.
25. panders | November 23rd, 2007 at 7:57 pm
Those look delicious. I hope you had a good holiday.
26. Viji | November 24th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Lovely they are. Nice presentation. Viji
27. Tracy Williams | November 25th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Goog God, those potatoes look so good I could have sex with them!!! Must try, must try, must try….
28. textual bulldog | November 25th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS!
29. Sarah | November 27th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
These were a HIT when I made them for Thanksgiving!! Thank you for the recipe! YUM.
30. Aly | November 28th, 2007 at 11:09 am
Made these last night, and they were divine! Thanks for helping me use up leftover sweet potatos from Thanksgiving - this dish was really delicious! I served it alongside a spinach salad for a complete meal.
31. lonevegan | December 24th, 2007 at 1:32 am
This recipe was FANTASTIC!!! I made it last week for my parents and we all loved it, so I’m making it tomorrow to bring to my relatives’ house on Christmas. Thank you!!
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