Sweet Potato and Chard Gratin

I made this for Christmas dinner with my extended family. Everyone loved it-- big hit. (As a note, I used emmenthaler for the cheese and half-in-half instead of the cream)

Recent craving.

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into "fry shapes"
olive oil, generous amount
kosher salt, to taste

-- toss together in bowl. Line cookie sheet with foil and spread fries onto sheet. Bake at 425 for 30-40 minutes, turning once.

-- Serve immediately with yummy Newman's Own Ranch Dressing.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

These have a perfect bit of spice to them! Don't even need ketchup.

Credit for this recipe goes to this blogger where full post and photos may be found.

Sweet Potatoes, one per person
Olive oil (see below)

Seasoning Mix:
2 T ground coriander
1 T ground fennel
1 T dried oregano
1 T Aleppo Pepper (or use a smaller amount of cayenne pepper)
2 T kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 F. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into strips about 3 inches long and 3/4 inches thick.

In mortar and pestle or spice grinder, grind together coriander, fennel, oregano, and Aleppo pepper. Mix in salt. (This makes enough for several batches of sweet potatoes, so you'll need a small jar to store the extra.)

In plastic bowl, toss together cut sweet potatoes, olive oil, and spice mixture. You will need about 1 T olive oil and 2 tsp. of the spice mixture for every two sweet potatoes, depending on how spicy you like it.

Spray flat roasting pan with non-stick spray. Spread out sweet potatoes in single layer. Roast 30-40 minutes, turning about every ten minutes. Sweet potatoes should be softened through and lightly browned when they're done. (They will only be slightly crisp. If you wanted them crisper I might increase the temperature to 450 F or use convection if you have it, but sweet potatoes never get as crisp as fried potatoes.) Serve hot.