Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic and Porcini for The Critic

This has to be the perfect book for mystery lovers and cold case fans, who are also interested in wines, the whole business from grapes to wine production, to tasting and beyond.  Quite fascinating background information is seamlessly merged with the action.  Peter May's The Critic has it all, as well as some good food mentions.

Of course, the overly-powerful (influence wise) wine critic gets murdered.  Not a "cozy" mystery here, more in the exciting thriller vein.  And, forensics expert, Enzo Macleod, from May's earlier debut novel in this series, Extraordinary People, gets to hunt the killer, as well as visit vineyards, and do a bit of wine tasting himself.  Thoughtful in parts too, about how people make assumptions, and draw conclusions based on misinterpretations, printed as fact in the newspapers and other media.  Similar to the present political divide, much of it stirred up by people with their own agendas, funding "protests" and paying the participants.  But I digress. On to the food!


The cubed potatoes with garlic and cepes (porcini mushrooms) mentioned in the book were served with duck confit. Oh boy, that dish is an all time favorite, which I have made several times, although not happening at the moment.  You need a nice fatty duck, plus some extra time and butchering energy.  So, I served my version of the brief potato mention with seared beef tenderloin, switching out potatoes for sweet potatoes.

                Honey and Sriracha Roasted Sweet Potatoes
            adapted from Eliot's Eats' recipe
    2 T. butter
    2 T. honey
    2 T. sriracha
    1 teaspoon plus 1 T olive oil
    2 medium sweet potatoes
    sea salt
    1-2 cloves garlic, minced
    3 porcini mushrooms, sliced and tossed in 1 tablespoon olive oil

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
    Melt butter and stir in honey, sriracha and 1 teas.olive oil.  Set aside.

 Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes.   Toss with the honey-sriracha mixture.

Place potatoes on a silicon lined baking sheet (or line a baking sheet with foil).   Arrange in a single layer    Roast in oven for 20 minutes, stirring after the first 10 minutes, and adding in porcini mushrooms and garlic.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with sea salt.  Got to love these tasty sweet potatoes!  So good.
Totally  upgrades the meal in fact.  Served with a tender bit of tenderloin and cucumber salad.

Will share with Beth Fish Reads for her weekly event, Weekend Cooking.  Tune in and catch some tempting reads and cooking ideas.  Bring your own if you've got a food related post to share.