When the slightly bitchy old lady at my favorite produce stand rang up my bag of Honeycrisp Apples three days ago, two thoughts raced through my mind: “Please God, don’t be too expensive” and “wonder what kind of savory dish I could make with those?” I say the old gal was slightly bitchy because she gets a little brusque when paying customers distract her from what seems to be her true calling on this earth. Which, if you’re curious, seems to be shelling peas or snapping green beans plunkity, plunkity into an oversized aluminum bowl while perched on her throne. The throne is rather grimly wedged into a too-small space behind the cash register, a sort of Archie Bunker-like chair with taped-up arms and covered in threadbare fabric that has—like the lady herself—seen better days.
When I asked about the apples she paused pea-shelling long enough to tell me “Alabama or North Carolina, one of the two” and sent me and my bag of fruit packing as quickly as she could. The apples were smallish, early-in-season and not as hollow-sounding as I would like when I thump a Honeycrisp. But that’s okay. Like the sight of plumpish little pumpkins, when I see a Honeycrisp, I know it’s really, truly autumn at last. So I got to thinking what might be delicious, good for me, and easy…and then I remembered the sweet potatoes tucked into the crisper…and the orange lurking there too, and boom. There it was. And here you have it—the perfect autumn side dish. If you could smell my kitchen right now, you would understand why I call it that.
Norwizzle’s Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 orange
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon crushed rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 Honeycrisp Apples, quartered
1/3 red onion, cut into thick slices
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together honey, olive oil, orange juice, orange marmalade, Dijon, rosemary, and sea salt.
3. Combine sweet potatoes, apples and onion in a large bowl; toss with honey mixture.
4. Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Serve immediately.
Norwizzle's Almanac 