Jamie Deen’s Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

By: Jodie Shield, RD

Hey y’all! Recently I had the opportunity to visit New York City and pair up with Jamie Deen and Hidden Valley Ranch to promote the Lunch Break for Kids Campaign. It was a blast!  I got to  watch Jamie in action as he taped segments about preparing family-friendly meals and snacks such as Baked Bacon Ranch Chicken and Buffalo Ranch Pretzels.  Jamie graciously autographed his book for me called Take It Easy: Quick and Affordable Meals the Whole Family Will Love. Here’s a recipe from the book that I love: Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon. Jamie says it’s a cross between candied yams and steak fries. But I must confess, the Registered Dietitian in me tweaked it a bit to lower the calorie, fat, and sodium content (see my edits in the recipe). I cut the original amount of butter in half and used canola oil which has no trans-fat or saturated fat.  And instead of using 2 teaspoons of salt, I sprinkled only 1 teaspoon over the wedges. No need to cut the brown sugar. The original version of this recipe doesn’t actually use any. My guess is because roasting the sweet potatoes causes them to caramelize.  This gives them a brown sugar taste without adding any.  Now my challenge for y’all: go ahead and make both of our recipes. Which version do you like better?

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Brown Sugar and Cinnamon

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 5 tablespoons canola oil)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and cut lengthwise into wedges
• 2 teaspoons of salt (or 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cinnamon. Add the potato wedges and toss to combine. Season with the salt and pepper.
3. Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast the potatoes, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information:

Jamie’s Recipe                               Jodie’s Recipe

281 calories                                     215 calories

2.5 grams protein                              2.5 grams protein

26 grams carbohydrate                26 grams carbohydrate

4.5 grams dietary fiber                 4.5 grams dietary fiber

20 grams of fat                               12 grams fat

12 grams saturated fat                   0 grams saturated fat

51 milligrams cholesterol            0 milligrams cholesterol

821 milligrams sodium                 431 milligrams sodium

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