Sweet Potatoes in Chili Powder Sauce

This makes a nice combination of sweet, savory and a little bit of spicy, and is a really nice accompaniment to roasts and meaty entrees.

“Sweet Potatoes in Chili Powder Sauce” is probably not the catchiest name, but I figured “Southwest Style Sweet Potatoes wasn’t terribly clear, and I made up the recipe, so probably nobody in the Southwest actually makes this.

Ingredients
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-1″ cubes
3 large shallots, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4-1 jalapeno, no seeds, slice very thin, to desired spiciness. It’s mostly just supposed to have a hint of spice
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt

Steps
Heat oven to 350.

If you have a microwave, to save yourself some baking time, nuke the potatoes for about 4 minutes, or until somewhat softened. You could also probably boil them for a little bit instead of the microwave. Note that you’re not going for the same level of mushiness as in candied yams, more like the texture of home fries.

In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add shallots, garlic and jalapeno. Let sizzle until shallots are starting to turn transparent, then add the brown sugar, chili powder and salt. Let combine on low heat for a few minute, then mix the sauce thoroughly with the potatoes and put everything in a baking dish. Bake until the potatoes are the desired texture, which will depend on your oven, whether you nuked them, and the potatoes that you have. If you have a particularly woody seeming yam, nuke it or boil it more, separate from the other potatoes. The trickiest part of this dish is uneven cooking of the yams.