{Thanksgiving Potluck} Roasted Potatoes & Yams

Today we are happy to have the oh-so-adorable and always entertaining Erin from Hot Dinner Happy Home to share a Thanksgiving potato dish with you! Here are a few fun Thanksgiving tidbits about Erin and her delish dish for Roasted Potatoes and Yams:

Favorite Thanksgiving Dish and/or Tradition? I think Thanksgiving is the one meal of the year where everything tastes better if it’s touching on the plate. A little stuffing with some cranberry sauce, turkey topped with mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes crowned with green bean casserole. Mmmmm… And although I love it all, nothing says “Thanksgiving dinner” to me like stuffing.

Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie? Pumpkin. And can I be specific and request Pumpkin Praline?

What is your cooking mantra? I write a little blog called Hot Dinner Happy Home. My mission there, and in life, really, is “Turning home into a haven, one meal at a time.” My mom, a very wise woman, always taught me that home should be your refuge. Cooking a meal (what my husband and I jokingly refer to as “hot dinner”) is one great way to help create that safe place, where you don’t need to change your shirt if you happen to spill gravy down the front. So, I hope that by sharing with you folks today, I can help you get one little step closer to turning your home into a haven.

What are you thankful for this year? Oh, geez. There are so many things to be grateful for. I know this is going to sound completely cliche, but I am so thankful for the love and support of my family and friends. Knowing that you’re going at life as part of a team, and not as a lone soldier, is so comforting.

Thanksgiving is in two weeks. Have you broken out in a cold sweat thinking about your Butterball? Given over to apple pie anxiety? Mumbled your menu in your sleep?

Well, step back for a moment from the Thanksgiving stress that tends to overwhelm as the end of November nears. Take a deep breath and relax. Your mother-in-law might tisk-tisk if your gravy has lumps, but she’ll forget in time. Are you a bit calmer yet? Good. ‘Cause I’m gonna tell you the story of the best Thanksgiving ever.

Turn back the clock a few years to November 2009. The husband and I are hosting our traditional “Transplant Thanksgiving” for those of us who don’t have immediate family in the area. The air is permeated with the perfume of the holiday: savory stuffing, sugary sweet potatoes, the spice of cranberry sauce and cider.

The men are out in the garage where I relegated them with the turkey fryer and a bunch of beers. (“No, you cannot fry that thing in the house. I don’t care if it’s an electric fryer. It’s not safe. And it smells. No, seriously, take it outside. AND DON’T FORGET YOUR EYE PROTECTION!”) The ladies are in the kitchen, drinking wine and playing oven Tetris to make sure everything stays warm until the bird is carved.

Finally we gather in the dining room. The table is bedazzled with plates and a mish-mash of silverware. The old folding chairs creak as we settle in, and I admire the happy commotion in my home: My sister and brother from out of town, friends we’ve grown to love like family, a co-worker rescued from heat-lamp turkey in the work cafeteria. It is group committed to loving each other, taking care of each other, and, today, feeding each other. This is Thanksgiving, and it is perfect. Tears spring to my eyes, and I’m like my mom during a Hallmark commercial, blinking hard, hoping no one sees me fix my running mascara.

We shoved our faces full of food until everyone was uncomfortable. We circled the table and shared what we were thankful for. We poured each other drinks, even when our cups were full. And then we did the Cupid Shuffle in my living room with the blinds open.

It was the best day of my life.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Roasted Potatoes & Yams
Serves: 6

Can’t decide between white potatoes and sweet potatoes? Why not serve ’em both up this year? Partially cooking your spuds in the microwave will save valuable oven time. Also, this recipe cooks at 375 degrees, so it plays nice with other Thanksgiving favorites.

Ingredients:
3-4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 3/4″-1″ chunks
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4″-1″ chunks
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, combine Yukon Gold and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes, until potatoes are just barely starting to soften.

Place partially-cooked potatoes on a very large (or two small) baking sheet with the garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with thyme, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix everything together so the potatoes are evenly coated with oil and spices. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the garlic cloves and serve.