Roasted Masala Sweet Potatoes - AIP elimination compliant

Making your own AIP garam masala is a small project inside a bigger one: cinnamon, cloves, mace, and ginger, ground and mixed by hand because the versions on the shelf are built around excluded seed spices. It takes a few extra minutes the first time. After that, you have a jar of it ready for the next dish.

Sweet potato is one of the more reliable sources of beta-carotene available on this protocol, and the body turns it into vitamin A, one the intestinal lining depends on to stay whole, with its own separate role in how immune cells behave day to day. The kasoori methi, dried fenugreek leaf and distinct from the excluded seed, is where the real fragrance in this dish comes from.

Roast until the edges catch some color and go slightly crisp. That caramelization is where the best flavor lives, so do not pull the pan too early. Serve this warm, next to something simple, and let the spice work be the special part of the plate tonight.

Ingredients

• 2 large white sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes (skin on)
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves; AIP-allowed - this is the dried leaf, not the excluded fenugreek seed)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon AIP garam masala (recipe below; replaces standard garam masala which contains excluded seed spices)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (omitted - excluded on AIP: seed spice)
• 1/4 teaspoon chaat masala (omitted - excluded on AIP: contains cumin, black pepper, and other seed spices)

AIP Garam Masala blend (make ahead and store):

• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix together in a small jar. This recipe makes more than you will need for one batch - store the remainder sealed at room temperature and use in curries, soups, or marinades.

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or leave it bare - both work.

In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato cubes with the oil, kasoori methi, sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the AIP garam masala. Toss well until every piece is coated.

Spread the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the sheet pan. Do not crowd them - use two pans if needed. Crowding causes steaming instead of roasting and you will lose the caramelized edges.

Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the edges are golden and beginning to crisp and the centers are tender when pierced with a fork. Check at 25 minutes and continue roasting in 5-minute increments if needed.

Serve warm as a side dish alongside chicken, salmon, or any AIP main.

Air Fryer Variation

Toss the cubed sweet potatoes in the oil and spices as described above. Working in batches, arrange the pieces in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes, shaking the basket once halfway through, until the edges are caramelized and the centers are tender. Air frying produces slightly crisper edges than oven roasting.

*Adapted from cook2nourish.com*