A new TABLE Magazine favorite for Meatless Monday, these oven roasted, smashed Japanese sweet potatoes are hardly a sacrifice. Veda Sanakaran’s layers of flavors build up from the potato foundation to turmeric and chili and then the umami of crushed sheets of nori and a drizzle of ghee. Unforgettable!

Oven-roasted Smashed Japanese Sweet Potatoes

Recipe by Veda Sankaran @jalsabyveda

Ingredients

6 Japanese sweet potatoes (also known as Murasaki)

nonstick cooking oil spray

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp ghee, melted

1 tbsp butter

turmeric

Burlap & Barrel Icelandic sea kelp or crushed nori

Burlap & Barrel silk chili or Aleppo chili flakes

 

Instructions

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

 

Cut off the ends of the sweet potatoes and discard. Then, cut the potatoes into thirds and boil for approximately 20 minutes or until a knife can be inserted easily.

 

Drain in a colander and let sit for 5 minutes, before placing on baking sheets that have been sprayed with nonstick cooking oil spray. 

 

Use the flat side of a meat tenderizer or a potato masher to carefully flatten each piece. Sometimes facing the skin side up will make it easier to smash the potato. Leave the skins on as they will crisp and taste delicious.  

 

Let the smashed potatoes sit for at least 10 more minutes on the baking sheets before generously drizzling with the melted ghee and olive oil. This will help the crisp. Then sprinkle on the spices. If using nori, crush it to a powder before sprinkling on the potatoes. 

 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then dab the tops of the potatoes with the butter and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes become crispy. 

 

Note: This recipe doesn’t call for salt as the Icelandic sea kelp or the nori provides the saltiness. But, you can garnish with a light sprinkling of a finishing salt like Maldon sea salt or Spanish black sea salt if you’d like. 

 

For more about Veda Sankaran and her delicious approach to food, visit her website.