Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Pumpkin Spice Honey and Pepita-Parsley Pesto

My family loves roasted sweet potatoes. I usually cube them and roast them with a bit of chili powder (using the Épices de Cru chili blend and grinding it fresh makes these pretty special, TBH). That's the everyday version.

But for a holiday, for company or just to dress them up, start by cutting them into thick rounds.

Rounds caramelize beautifully on both cut sides with a single flip, and they come out looking like a holiday side without any extra work. They're easy to serve, too: straight from the pan to a platter. (If the oven is crowded on the day, they're fine at 375°F alongside everything else. Just give them a few extra minutes.)

I glaze them with honey and pumpkin spice whisked into olive oil. Toss the rounds in it, but don't pour what's left in the bowl over the pan. Honey that pools on the sheet burns long before the potatoes are done. Save it and brush it on after you flip.

The spice is Diaspora Co.'s pumpkin spice, which has mace and white pepper in along with the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It tastes warm and a little floral rather than like a straight hit of cinnamon, which is what you want on a vegetable. (Diaspora suggests it for squash and root vegetables as much as for pie.)

All that sweetness and spice needs a foil, and that's the pesto's job: parsley, lemon and a little garlic for brightness, pepitas for crunch, and a hit of fresh green against all that orange. For ease of prep, make the pesto ahead but stir in the lemon just before serving to keep the colours bright.

Sweet Potato Rounds with Pumpkin Spice Honey and Pepita-Parsley Pesto

Serves 6 (or more as part of a larger meal)

Ingredients:

2 lb (900g) sweet potatoes, scrubbed, sliced into 1-inch rounds (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
2 tbsp Lost Meadows honey
2 tsp Diaspora Co. pumpkin spice
1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted pepitas, divided
1 cup Italian parsley leaves, loosely packed
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Maldon salt, to finish

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
   
   
2. Whisk together 3 tbsp olive oil, honey, pumpkin spice, and salt. Toss with the sweet potato rounds and spread in a single layer (don't pour leftover spiced oil overtop, save to brush on later).
   
   
3. Roast 20 minutes, then flip and brush tops with any remaining spiced oil. Roast another 10-12 minutes, or until a knife slides in with no resistance and the cut faces are deeply caramelized.
   
   
4. In a food processor, pulse 3 tbsp of the pepitas with the parsley and garlic until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, stream in the remaining 5 tbsp olive oil. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, then pulse until just combined. (If you're not serving right away, hold back the lemon juice and stir it in just before serving to keep the colour bright.)
   
   
5. Arrange the roasted rounds on a platter. Spoon the pesto over top, scatter the reserved pepitas and finish with a pinch of Maldon salt.

Note: this recipe works equally well at 375°F if that works better for other bits you are cooking simultaneously. Just add a little extra cooking time.