Name: Sweet Potatoes With Maple Tahini
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: 2½ lb. Okinawan or Japanese sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), scrubbed, cut into ¼"-thick wedges; 4 Tbsp. avocado or vegetable oil, divided; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper; ½ cup tahini; 2 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar; 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. pure maple syrup; 2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest; 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 3 Tbsp. pine nuts; ¼ cup chopped dill; Flaky sea salt

Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime

Chef Sophia Roe, the host of Counter Space on Vice, has some sweet potato intel: Keep your baking sheet in the oven as it preheats so the sweet potatoes start to sizzle and crisp as soon as they hit the pan, cutting down on cooking time. The next time you scan the bins of sweet potatoes at your grocery store or farmers market, look for the variety known as Okinawan (or sometimes Hawaiian) sweet potatoes. They have beige skins and intensely bluish-purple flesh that’s dry and starchy and ideal for roasting or frying. If you can’t find Okinawans, look for other tan or purple-skinned varieties such as Japanese sweet potatoes.

Recipe notes

Camélia’s Sweet Potato Gratin

With salty-sweet miso butter, chives, and savory flakes of nori, this cheesy sweet potato gratin recipe bears little resemblance to traditional versions.

Grilled Purple Sweet Potato Salad

Charred purple potato salad with mayo, lemon, and soy is smoky, creamy, and designed to be the star of any summer picnic or barbecue.

Candied Purple Sweet Potatoes

Slowly roasting purple sweet potatoes in a sticky-sweet mixture of brown sugar and spices gives them a glossy sheen that’s as stunning as it is flavorful.

Sheet-Pan Pierogies and Beets

A flavorful one-pan meal featuring baked pierogies, roasted beets, and a poppy seed dressing. Frozen pierogies and pre-cooked beets make this extra easy.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

A good garlic mashed potato recipe can upstage even the flashiest of mains. Adding just a few cloves of garlic turns what could be a simple side dish into something with undeniable charm.

Sweet-and-Spicy Squash With Scallion Oil

Roasted squash loses its bland reputation and turns glossy and fragrant thanks to a gingery miso-glaze and a quick scallion oil.

Gochujang Turkey Sweet Potatoes

Fully loaded, meal-prep friendly, and ready to be dressed up, down, or sideways.

Roasted Tofu Grain Bowls With Miso-Tahini Sauce

This vegetarian bowl is as colorful as it is hearty: brown rice and quinoa, roasted tofu and broccolini, avocado, cabbage slaw, and a turmeric-spiked dressing.