I have started trying to find new sides for Thanksgiving (and other days of the year!). As many of you may know we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving Day as my daughter has MidWest Oireachtas (regionals) for Irish dance the day after Thanksgiving each year. So, we are traveling on that day. This year the competition is in Louisville, Kentucky again. We love being able to do this and enjoy the family time but we have to move our holiday around some. So, that on Thanksgiving we tend to have an appetizer meal in the hotel.

This year because Thanksgiving is so late in the month we may be delaying it until after Thanksgiving rather than before. I haven’t decided yet. But, I don’t want to be waiting until the last minute to try new dishes for the dinner.  If my family doesn’t like them or they need a bit of tweaking for our tastes I don’t want to be cooking something for an important meal and have it be a big failure.

Verdict:

These were proof that you don’t need tons of butter, brown sugar, or marshmallows for us to eat sweet potatoes. Now, all those things are REALLY good on sweet potatoes but I am trying to steer us to try new flavors. This was really good and the kids loved them! The sweetness of the potatoes was good on its own with the savory herbs. Add additional amounts of spices as you like. Try changing them up to what you like and see how it works. You may be surprised!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons marjoram
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, parchment paper, or silicone baking pad.
2. Mix together olive oil, spices, and potatoes until well coated. Spread evenly over baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20 minutes and then stir well.
4. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
5. Remove pan from oven and serve warm.

[\recipe]