I know sweet potato casseroles – usually made with lots of butter and marshmallows – are a sugary, super sweet American classic, especially around Thanksgiving.
But I’ve never really liked syrupy, sugar-covered casseroles, so I’ve never cooked my sweet potatoes this way. To me they taste like dessert, and I don’t like to eat dessert alongside the roast turkey and gravy and mashed potatoes.
So today I’m proposing something completely different for a Thanksgiving side: healthy, savory sweet potato home fries – cooked with onions and garlic and a touch of fresh herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper.
I think the combo of slightly sweet potatoes and slightly salty onions, garlic, and fresh herbs is so much more interesting and flavorful.
I call this recipe “skinny” too, because it cuts out all the sugar and sweeteners and adds healthy and flavorful onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.
Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make sweet potato home fries – this one is easy, with only 5 key ingredients.
Begin by chopping an onion.
Cut off the root end and slice the onion in half lengthwise.
Then peel off the skin and place the onion flat-side-down on the cutting board.
Cut thin strips lengthwise.
Then cut in the opposite direction, dicing the onion.
Next, grab a couple of cloves of garlic.
Place a clove on your cutting board, lie your knife flat over the clove, and smash down with your palm or your fist, smashing apart the clove.
Now you can easily peel of the skin, and some of the mincing has already been done for you.
Run your knife through the clove in all directions, mincing up the garlic.
Next up: the sweet potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are a nutritious superfood, so they’re a great alternative to regular white potatoes. They’re full of Vitamin C to keep your immune system going strong as well as tons of the antioxidant beta-carotene for smooth, healthy-looking skin.
Peel the skin off a couple of sweet potatoes.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise.
Place the first half flat-side-down on the cutting board and cut thin strips lengthwise.
Then chop in the opposite direction, cubing the potato.
Grab a fresh sprig of rosemary.
Isn’t that the funniest word, “sprig”?
I always picture an adorable little toddler, with a stuffy nose and a slight speech impediment, trying to say how much she loves the “spring”…
Hold on to the top of the sprig with one hand and then use your other hand to slide down the stem, pulling off all the rosemary as you go.
Pile up the rosemary and run your knife through the pile in every direction, chopping it up.
Repeat the same steps for the fresh thyme.
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat.
Cook the diced onion for a few minutes, until it’s softened.
Then add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
Add the sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
Cooking Tips:
I’ve found the best method for keeping the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan is to adjust the heat to medium-low.
Then partially cover the potatoes to help speed up the cooking time.
And stir often to make sure none of the onions and potatoes are sticking and burning to the pan.
When the potatoes are softened and easily pierced with a fork, add the freshly chopped rosemary and thyme.
Season to your liking with salt and pepper, and serve.
The onions and garlic add a lot of savory deliciousness to the home fried potatoes, but it’s the fresh rosemary and thyme that really make this dish.
I think you’ll like this savory “home fries” version of sweet potatoes even better than any marshmallow casserole side dish.
And they’re definitely not just for Thanksgiving.
These home fries are easy enough to through together on a busy weeknight for a healthy, tasty side dish.
I make these yummy, savory potatoes regularly throughout the cold weather months as a more nutritious alternative to regular potatoes.
Here is the complete printable recipe:
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, and cook the onions until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
- Add the sweet potatoes and season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook - stirring often - until potatoes are softened, about 12-15 minutes.
- Stir in the fresh chopped rosemary and thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Â Serve.
I love this!! Like you, I do not like the marshmallow/sweet potato casseroles. This sounds great though–I think it would be delicious for brunch, too!
These fries look absolutely delicious my friend, perfect cut 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I hate the sweet stuff, too, so this is right up my alley … Happy Friday 🙂
I’ve just realised why my sweet potatoes stick – too much heat and not enough patience! Great tip thankyou and another lovely recipe 🙂
This is something I do now and then – big fan of sweet potatoes – and they goes with everything – meat, chicken or fish. Plus is’t good on it’s own – sometimes I put some fired pork into the potatoes.
Your photos are good and delicious as always. Like your new photo – you are a very beautiful young woman. Wish you and your men .. a good weekend.
Can’t wait to try these! They sound so yummy!
Beautiful photo walkthrough, as ever. I love to throw them in the oven with salt and black pepper, having tossed them in olive oil. Delicious.
Best,
Conor
I am so glad I saw this recipe! I keep trying to make sweet potato fries but they just aren’t turning out right (don’t get me wrong, they are still good, I mean, sweet potatoes are pretty much always delicious. 🙂 ) I’ll have to try these home fries and see if I can get them to turn out for me 🙂
That’s great! If you decide try them, let me know how they turn out for you 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic – I’d love to use sweet potatoes more, but didn’t have any good recipes, so I’m very excited to try this one! I don’t like those sweet casseroles at all…Just seeing the marshmallows on the sweet potatoes is awful, and we never made those in my family. But this looks like the perfect side dish, and I’m sure my husband would love it too!
I think he might – this is how I got my husband to like sweet potatoes! 🙂
Fun to make and very delicious.Regards.Jalal
I made something similar to this for Thanksgiving last year because I totally agree on the icky sweet potato casserole. Mine had onion and garlic too, and I tossed in craisins and bacon! I love the simplicity of yours…sounds like it would be great for a weeknight side dish!
I don’t care for sweet potatoes with marshmallows…too sweet. Home fries on the other hand sound terrific.
I’m with you – I love savory sweet potatoes. These look delish!
I usually eat my sweet potatoes plain and baked, but this sounds wonderful! May have to try this one!
Looks delicious. Potatoes and rosemary are a classic combo. I usually make an indian pumpkin dish the same way, but I i let the end product really soften and mash up. I love this, it’s more western and the potatoes probably have a slight bite to them. Lovely for thanksgiving.
I love sweet potatoes anyway, sweet or savory. I’ll take some of each please!
These do look delicious and your pictures are gorgeous!!!! Love the addition of the thyme and rosemary! Great new profile pic!
I just found your blog on Tasty Kitchen and love it! This recipe looks awesome. You always hear about sweet potato fries, but never home fries! YUM!
I am the same way with sweet potatoes! I like to actually taste them, not marshmallows and brown sugar! Love this way to prepare them!
Delicious! I added smoke paprika just to jazz it up a bit and cut my potatos a bit bigger. A little longer cook was necessary but it was awesome!
Great idea! Thanks so much for letting me know how the recipe turned out for you 🙂