Today, because of the fact that life is so, so sweet, I give you these sweet potato tacos. They’re not literally sweet, obviously, but most sweet things in life aren’t, are they? Take yesterday, for example: one of the sweetest days of my life, recently. Sweet because I had the day off. Sweet because the sky was a bright blue with a couple of beautiful white clouds. Sweet because I spent the whole afternoon running around an amusement park with my best friend, laughing, getting dizzy, eating poutine. Sweet because I was outside all day long, appreciating how gorgeous the day was. Sweet because I got to go up on one of those tall, spinny, swing rides? The ones that sweep you out and around in a circle? I always seem to feel so alive on those. Life is made sweeter because of days where you remember just how sweet life can be.
These sweet potato tacos make my life sweeter. They are, strangely, a conglomeration of most of my favourite ingredients. They baffled my mother when I replicated them at my family home. They don’t seem in the least bit strange to me, however it’s possible that’s because I have them at least once a week. Shall I share? It’s not too complicated.
Set your oven to 425.
Roughly chop your sweet potatoes down to cubes. Try to keep them relatively consistent, but it’s not a big deal. You can rinse them first, but I almost never peel them. I like the cooked texture of the skin.
Put them in a bowl, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and spices of your choice. I usually add some granulated garlic. Then put in about 1 tsp of cornstarch per half sweet potato and mix until there is no sign of the white cornstarch anywhere. Add more oil if necessary.
Space out the pieces evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
I adore eating sweet potato fries with ‘garlic aioli’ as my family calls it. Basically, put about 1.5 tbsp of mayonnaise in a little bowl and press 1 clove of garlic into it, and mix. You can add lemon juice, if you like. I usually have a little bit of this in my fridge, and I find that adding just a tiny bit to these tacos gives them a nice flavour. Feel free to leave it out!
Chop your favourite toppings. Mine are fresh red onion, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, fresh lime (for squeezing), and guacamole. I’ve started occasionally buying this “Wholly Guacamole” product instead of the fickle avocado, because it keeps longer. It’s also very tasty, unlike other pre-made guac I’ve tried.
Ready? ASSEMBLE. I usually heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds so they get soft.
And there you have it! One of my current favourite meals. It’s simple, and delicious, and wide open to interpretation. I’ve made these with black beans, salsa, grated cheese, etc, but this is my favourite combination. Try it for yourself!
xo. Have the sweetest day.