CrankyCakes

It’s fall, so it’s time for the Hannaford supermarket’s recipe contest.  While I was wandering around contemplating a recipe to enter this time around, I ran across my first piles of Vermont-grown sweet potatoes at the farmers’ market, which was a nice reminder to make my winning entry of a few years ago, and share the recipe with you.  It’s super-easy, really good, and easy to adapt to be vegetarian.

Oven-Roasted Sausage (or Tofu) with Sausage and Grapes
Reprinted from hannaford.com
About 4 servings

• 1 T. olive oil
• 2-3 large sweet potatoes, cleaned well, with peels still on, cut into large dice
• 4 – 5 links pre-cooked sausage, cut into 1″ pieces (Or, for a vegetarian version, cubed firm tofu marinated in something mild and garlicky.  I made some with Vermont Soy’s Maple Ginger Tofu, which was delicious.)
• 5 oz. seedless grapes, rinsed and removed from stem
• 3 T. – 1/4 c. balsamic vinaigrette (Since Hannaford was kind enough to award me the winner of the contest I entered, may I recommend their Inspirations Balsamic Vinaigrette?)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Grease two baking sheets well with olive oil and set aside.
3. Toss sweet potatoes, sausage, grapes, and vinaigrette in a large bowl until well combined.
4. Spread mixture in single layer on baking sheets, and roast for 30-35 minutes,  using a spatula to turn it all over about halfway through.
5. Remove from oven when sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and everything is lightly browned.

When I tried to impress E. with how Mommy had won a thousand dollars with this recipe, he suggested that I buy myself some Legos with the proceeds … and declined to take even one bite.  His brother methodically ate the grapes (which caramelize and sort of melt and are especially yummy), then the sausage, then determinedly sat using his fork to peel the sweet potatoes I had left intact.  Both of them were baffled by how I could have blown through $1,000 in three years, and clearly didn’t believe me when I assured them it could be done.