Date Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We had left over Char Siu Pork Chops. We made a new recipe for us: Date Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes. It was from our favorite restaurant: Republique. It was a great way to prepare the Sweet Potatoes. We love Dates, it was a perfect paring!

République Date Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Los Angeles Times

 

At République, the menu listed the dish as “roasted yams,” but it’s actually made with sweet potatoes. True yams have tough, brown bark-like skin and starchy flesh similar to yucca; they’re also hard to find. Sweet potatoes, including the confusingly named Garnet yams, are readily available at markets where they’re often labeled yams.

Although Thao Family Farms’ sweet potato season is over, you can make this recipe with the ones sold in supermarkets year round. We tested this recipe with orange, purple and white sweet potatoes and they all taste great when roasted with Manzke’s date butter and topped with his bright salad. If you’re cooking for only one or two, make the full batch of sweet potatoes to enjoy all week long, tossing the cold salad fresh each time you eat it or using any leftovers to bake sweet potato bread.

The contrast of hot caramelized sweet potatoes with cold lemony arugula, radicchio and fennel makes this the ideal salad. It’s both warming and refreshing, and the savory shaved Parmesan on top ties it all together.

 

6       sweet potatoes (8 ounces each), scrubbed and halved lengthwise

5       tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12     sprigs fresh thyme

16     Medjool dates, pitted and cut into ¼-inch rings

4       tablespoons unsalted butter

1       head of radicchio, cored and thinly sliced crosswise

1       fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise

5       ounces wild baby arugula

2       Mandarin oranges, peeled and segmented

3       tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Shaved Parmesan, to serve

1.   Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2.   Toss the sweet potato halves with 3 tablespoons olive oil and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper on the prepared sheet. Arrange in a single layer, cut sides down, spacing about an inch apart. Scatter the thyme evenly over the sweet potatoes. Roast until cut sides are browned and a paring knife slides easily through a sweet potato, 45 to 55 minutes.

3.   Meanwhile, combine one quarter of the sliced dates with ¼ cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the dates have absorbed all the water and are soft enough to smash, about 15 minutes. (If the pan dries out before the dates are soft, add another tablespoon or two of water.) Use a fork to smash the dates into a coarse paste. Add the butter to the saucepan and smash until evenly mixed. It’s OK if the butter melts in the process.

4.   Place the radicchio in a large bowl and cover with ice-cold water. Let soak for 10 minutes to temper the bitterness. Add the fennel to the bowl, submerging it in the water and adding more water if needed to cover. Let soak together for 5 minutes to crisp the fennel. After soaking, drain both the radicchio and fennel in a colander, shaking well to dry. Refrigerate both in the colander until ready to serve.

5.   Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully flip all the sweet potatoes cut sides up. Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Divide the date butter among the cut sides and gently spread evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Return to the oven and roast until the date butter caramelizes on top, 8 to 10 minutes.

6.   Transfer the radicchio and fennel to a large bowl and add the arugula, Mandarin oranges and remaining sliced dates. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat. Drizzle the lemon juice over the salad and toss to coat again.

7.   Divide the sweet potatoes among serving plates and top with the salad and Parmesan shavings. Serve immediately.