Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and all the meat eaters in my family are rejoicing; turkey dinner, hurrah! I, on the other hand, have never enjoyed turkey dinners, even back in my non-vegetarian days. On such occasions I would ignore the turkey and go to town on the meatless side dishes, and that is still what I do to this day.
I may be anti-turkey but I am pro-festive fall dishes, which brings me to this recipe. Sweet potatoes: so wonderful, so tasty, so beautifully orange. A perfect side dish to a turkey dinner, or, if you’re a vegetarian, a perfect thing to fill your plate with. I was just saying the other day that the key to cooking harmoniously for vegetarians and meat-lovers is to change the mindset that meat should be the central part of the meal. In my house, I cook vegetarian meals and then — lovingly — add meat on the side for the boys. Meat becomes more of a side dish and less of a focus. This approach, though it works well and is a healthy way to incorporate everyone’s preferences, is nearly impossible to pull off at Thanksgiving when the turkey is front and centre! And so, I make my festive meal out of the side dishes, and sweet potatoes are my favourite. What’s not to love? Delicious and chock full of fibre, manganese, beta carotene, and Vitamins A and E. Sweet potatoes are also rich in Vitamin B6, which is noted for its mood-smoothing properties. If you’re feeling anxious and stressed this Thanksgiving — maybe you’re cooking for a crowd, or at least for in-laws — perhaps some Vitamin B6 via sweet potatoes would be just the thing to elevate your mood!
Ingredients
Toss the sweet potato chunks in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet; season with sea salt to taste.
Roast in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes, flipping sweet potatoes over at the 20 minute mark.
Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolk, lemon, and mustard.
Mix oils together; add to the egg yolk mixture a few drops at a time, whisking constantly until emulsified. The mixture will be very thick and mayonnaise-like in texture.
Once all oil is added, whisk in garlic and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve aioli on the side as a perfect dipping sauce for the roasted sweet potatoes!
Ask someone to rub your arm and shoulder after making this dish — all that whisking is hard work! But so worth it for a delicious aioli that you can boast about at the Thanksgiving dinner table!
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