Honey Butter Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Wilted Baby Spinach | 蜜糖牛油烤蕃薯菠菜苗沙律

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, families across North America are reuniting and busy putting their final touches on the menu for the most significant celebration of the year. Sweet potatoes, yams, and pumpkins take center-stage in family kitchens far and wide alongside the requisite roasted turkey. Everywhere seems to hum with joy and the anticipation that this meaningful holiday brings.

Even though Thanksgiving may not be celebrated in Hong Kong, this could hardly deter me from injecting a dose of fall festivity into my kitchen. With just a handful of ingredients and no more than a few simple steps, the following recipe - adapted from Food Network host Robert Irvine's original - will surely warm up your day and have you scrambling for seconds.

Perfect as a side for a magnificent Thanksgiving spread, and no less stellar as a filling, nutritious meal on its own, this flavorsome roasted sweet potato dish trumps an ordinary mash or green salad. What's more? With so few steps and so little to wash, this dish might just be your answer when you have too much on your plate preparing for the Great Turkey Dinner.

What you'll need...
2 medium to large sweet potatoes, cleaned (peeling optional), cut into 1.5-inch cubes
Drizzle of vegetable oil, to toss and coat
Half a red onion, or 3 shallots, sliced
2 large handfuls of baby spinach
1 tablespoon honey
Small knob of butter* (less than 1 tablespoon)
Handful of pecans

*Note: Using quality butter makes a world of difference since the butter is the ingredient that brings together the entire dish. Or, add some flair with Whipped Maple Cinnamon Butter (recipe), and substitute honey with pure maple syrup! 

Looking for a simple yet festive side dish for your next Thanksgiving Dinner? Give this warm salad a try!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a large bowl, toss sweet potatoes in oil to coat. Place on baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.

2. Remove briefly from oven and toss in the onions and pecans and continue to roast until potatoes are tender, approximately another 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, have the honey, butter, and baby spinach handy.

3. Transfer sweet potatoes to the same large bowl. While piping hot, drizzle honey over the potatoes and add in the butter, mixing well. Gently toss in spinach. The heat from the potatoes will wilt the greens.

4. Serve warm and drown in the heavenly aroma of roasted onions and honeyed, melting butter! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

《蜜糖牛油烤蕃薯菠菜苗沙律》

材料：
蕃薯  2  隻（可去皮、切成約 1.5 寸小塊）
食用油  少量
洋蔥  半個  或  乾蔥頭  3  個（切絲）
菠菜苗  400 克
蜜糖  1  湯匙
牛油  20  克
胡桃  適量

做法：
1. 預熱焗爐至 180C。
2. 將蕃薯置於大碗中，加入少量油並略為攪拌，然後放於烤盤上，焗 15 分鐘。
3. 十五分鐘後，拌入洋蔥和胡桃，繼續焗至蕃薯和洋蔥熟透，約 15-20 分鐘。
4. 將焗好的蕃薯和洋蔥取出並置於大碗中。趁熱加入蜜糖和牛油，攪勻，然後再拌入菠菜苗。熱力會把菠菜變得軟身。完成！

Adapted from Robert Irvine's recipe on Food Network
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