When I was a kid, we lived in Japan. There was a vendor who went around with a cart that had a coal fire in it, and he’d yell “Oishi yaki imoooooooooo!” (“Delicious roasted sweet potatoes”) Well, I bought a couple of sweet potatoes and decided to have them today. They’re in the oven now. (These are the white ones, not the orange ones people call “yams”.) They’re about 7" long, and about 2" in diameter at their widest points.
So they’re in the oven, wrapped in foil, roasting at 375°F. How long do I cook them?
Well just so you know, they’ll be soggier than a true roasted potato, and will have less of the that “roasted” flavor that’s caused by caramelizing the sugars. Just so you know.
The yaki imo man (or, as we called him, “The Ishiyakimo Man”) had a cart that consisted of a box on two bicycle wheels in front, and a bicycle (sans the front wheel) in back. There was a coal fire burning in the box. I guess the foil was to keep the potatoes from burning; much as you would do with a baked potato thrown into your BBQ or fire at the beach.
So… what kinds of roasted vegetables do you make, and how are they made?
I’ll roast ANYTHING once. My favorite thing to do is roast as many different exotic bitesize vegetables as I can find; makes a very impressive display. Radishes, tiny apples, mushrooms, green figs–green figs are GREAT roasted–and all the usual suspects: potatos, squash, different onions, etc.
I usually toss them in a little oil and salt and then lay them out in a single layer if possible. THey display better if they haven’t been roasted on top of each other. If display isn’t important, layering them is OK if you toss them a few times while they’re roasting.
For most starchy veg, my highly successful method for roasting is as follows:
Pour a gloop of oil (you can add herbs or other flavorings too if you want) into a clean plastic bag, pour in the chopped veg, then shake the bag vigorously, and massage the veg through the bag, until all the pieces are completely coated in oil.
Tip the veg out of the bag into a lightly oiled roasting dish that’s been heating in the oven for a few minutes, and bake at around 200C (375°F) for 35-45 minutes without touching them. Then remove the tray from the oven, flip them, and return for 10-15 minutes.
Not moving the veg for so long allows a delicious caramelized crust to form on the bottom of the veggies before you turn them, and a nice roasted skin to form on the rest of the vegetable, while allowing even the thickest ends to be cooked thoroughly.
