I’ve been making sweet potatoes for my two adorable dogs lately and decided to finally purchase a mandolin thinking I could get a crispier chip. Well, I learned that this really does yield a nice crunchy chip but I didn’t like the particular mandolin and returned it. I’ll probably buy a different one sometime in the future, so I went back to my old-fashioned sweet potato slicing method and used a knife. The key here is to get them super thin and not use parchment paper. I have two really old baking sheets that I’ve had for at least 20 years and they’re perfect for roasting veggies or chips like this. Use the sharpest knife you have, or a veggie peeler, and slice super thin. I don’t really mind the meatier ones but use the tool of your choice, and by all means, use your mandolin if you have one. I’m also always looking for different ways to incorporate turmeric into my diet and it works beautifully with sweet potatoes here, along with cayenne and paprika. They’re quick and easy to make for an appetizer or snack, and really tasty warmed up the next day as they get a little chewy. You can set your oven to 200 and let them slowly warm up. This was my breakfast the other day along with a smoothie! Here are some wonderful nutritional benefits of the lovely sweet potato and please comment below if you give these a try.
- Rich with antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamins C, D, & E
- They contain minerals such as manganese and iron and are also high in potassium and B vitamins
- One of the best anti-cancer fighting foods
- Regulate blood sugar and easy to digest
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Babies love them!
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 2-3 Tbls olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ⅛ - ¼ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- Combine the paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
- Wash and dry the potatoes and slice thinly with a knife, mandolin, or veggie peeler, and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the olive oil and toss to coat, start with 2 tablespoons, then add more if needed.
- Sprinkle in the spice mixture and toss to evenly coat all the potatoes evenly.
- Layout in a single layer on the baking sheets and bake for 7-10 minutes. Flip and return to the oven for another 7-10 minutes. At this point, I may flip a few more times and rotate the pans. Cooking time really depends on the thickness of the potatoes. Keep a close eye on them and turn the oven down if it looks like they're cooking too fast or burning. If using a mandolin, cooking time will be quicker, so check after 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Enjoy!
I would love to know if you bought a new mandolin yet and if so, which one did you purchase?
Also, I’ve noticed a few options for sweet potatoes in the grocery store. Mostly different colors and then one referred to as yam instead of sweet potato. Can you tell me the difference between them?
Hi Susan!
I’m going to purchase the Japanese Benriner Mandoline. It’s the one I was going to get initially but I think I got side-tracked when looking online. It looks simple and I’ve seen people (meaning TV people!) using it for years and also wanted something I can easily clean and store.
Ah, the difference between yams and sweet potatoes! They both come from different botanical families; sweet potatoes from the morning glory and yams from the lily family. There are so many types of sweet potatoes, including white, yellow, red, purple, and probably others I don’t even know about. Yams tend to be drier and starchier and not as sweet and can be found in international markets. I think a lot of the yams with the deep orange flesh we see in grocery stores really are sweet potatoes but mislabeled. So those beautiful ‘yams’ we use to make our casseroles at Thanksgiving time are most likely sweet potatoes.