Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Leeks with Roasted Garlic Dressing Recipe
Servings: 4 -6
Ingredients
- 1 head of garlic
- 2/3 cup cold-pressed unrefined extra-virgin olive oil + more for coating the vegetables
- 3 medium sweet potatoes Garnet or Jewel variety
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 leeks white and light green parts only, washed well and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
- 1 teaspoon of raw honey or maple syrup or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice about ¼ inch off the top of the head of garlic. Put a drop of olive oil on the cut garlic and replace the tip. Wrap the head in parchment paper and then in foil. Roast for 1 hour or until very tender. Allow to cool slightly.
- Raise heat to 400 degrees. Scrub the sweet potatoes, do not peel them, and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Place in a large bowl and toss to coat lightly with olive oil. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Toss leeks with a tablespoon of olive oil and add to the sweet potatoes. Continue to roast for another 15-20 minutes, until golden and tender. Check after 10 minutes to make sure the leeks don't burn.
- Squeeze the garlic pulp out of the skin and into a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Whisk in vinegar, lemon juice, rosemary and maple syrup, if using. Slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly. Drizzle some warm dressing over the sweet potatoes and leeks. Taste for salt and pepper.
Notes
This recipe makes more dressing than is needed for the sweet potatoes. You can make the full recipe and save what you don’t use for steamed greens, such as kale, or for other roasted vegetables. Or, you can halve the recipe and use the remaining roasted garlic in soup, on crostini, in a frittata or in pasta sauce.