Spicy Sweet Potato Bake

I found a recipe online at Food.com for spicy sweet potatoes, which sounded interesting. I had some apples on hand, which I thought would be good in the mix, too. I tweaked the recipe slightly, and voila, we have a recipe that's a keeper!

before baking

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or Zoye premium oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar blend
• 1 teaspoon chili powder - any chili powder will do; I used Ancho Chile Pepper powder, which was an excellent choice!
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon (or, more) cayenne pepper
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes 
• 1 baking apple, peeled and cut into slightly larger cubes

Directions 

Combine sauce ingredients in a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Add potato and apple pieces. Put lid on bowl and shake/toss lightly to coat. 

Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer potatoes and apples to baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 450°F until potatoes and apples are tender—30 to 35 minutes, stirring at least once during baking. 

I increased the oven temperature in this recipe to 450°F. I started at 400°, then 425°, and after cooking it at 450°, I decided that yelled the best result. The last photo below is from a different time when I prepared this with the addition of carrots.

after baking 30 minutes at 425°F