Rocco's Crispy Sweet Potatoes
Rocco's Crispy Sweet Potatoes
Rocco Chicken is a Sabuco family classic. The name of this dish comes from Chef Dylan Sabuco's dad, Roy Sabuco. He is an Italian-American and very proud of that fact. His nickname during college was Rocco (not even he could tell you where that nickname came from). When Dylan's dad was in his early 20s, he had two young daughters, a full-time job, and was going to college. He was extremely busy and needed a recipe that could feed his family but wouldn’t take up too much of his concentration. He ended up creating a dish similar to chicken piccata that pulled from his Italian upbringing. He would pound chicken extra flat and soak it in lemon juice and herbs in a baking dish in the fridge all day while he was at school or working. Then, when he would get home, the last thing to do was sprinkle the chicken with Parmesan and butter and slide it into the oven. The dish was such a hit that Dylan and his siblings still eat it 40 years later every time they are together. I hope you enjoy this Sabuco family classic with sweet potatoes substituting for chicken for an equally delectable experience!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- bake :
to cook food with dry heat, as in an oven.
- knife skills :
Bear Claw (growl), Pinch, Plank, and Bridge (look out for trolls).
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- slice :
to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.
Equipment Checklist
- Oven
- Baking dish (9 x 13)
- Cutting board + kid-safe knife
- Liquid measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Zester (or grater with small zesting plate/side)
- Citrus squeezer or juicer
Ingredients
Rocco's Crispy Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1/2 C unsalted butter **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub 3 T nut-free vegetable oil)**
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried onion flakes or 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 C shelf-stable grated Parmesan cheese **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub nutritional yeast)**
- juice of 1 lemon
Food Allergen Substitutions
Rocco's Crispy Sweet Potatoes
- Dairy: Substitute 3 T of a nut-free vegetable oil for 1/2 C unsalted butter. Substitute nutritional yeast for shelf-stable grated Parmesan cheese.
Instructions
Rocco's Crispy Sweet Potatoes
intro
This week’s recipe is like an invitation to my childhood dinner table. My name is Dylan Sabuco, and I grew up in a proudly Italian household where dinner was one of the most important events of the day. It did not matter if you were happy, sad, mad, or anything in between; we all gathered around every night and had a comically oversized meal. Rocco chicken is a Sabuco family staple. My dad’s nickname is Rocco, and this dish was his go-to dish for us growing up. Traditionally, Dad would pound chicken breasts ultra-thin, sauté them quickly, and then layer the chicken with butter, lemon, herbs, and grated Parmesan cheese. After the chicken would come out of the oven, the smells would make my siblings and I run to the table. The Sticky Fingers Cooking version will substitute sweet potatoes for chicken for an equally delectable experience.
preheat
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
slice + bake
Slice 2 medium sweet potatoes into large rounds. Each potato should be about 1/2 inch thick and 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Place all the potatoes into a 9 x 13 baking dish in a single layer.
measure + zest + juice
Meanwhile, measure 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt and combine them in a bowl with a wooden spoon. Then, zest and juice 1 lemon, separating the zest and juice into 2 small bowls or measuring cups. (Set aside the zest for the Fragrant Rice Pilaf, if making, or another recipe.)
spoon + sprinkle + pour
Spoon the seasoned butter over the top of the sweet potatoes, then sprinkle 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese over the top of that. (The butter will melt its way down to the bottom of the dish as the sweet potatoes cook.) Next, pour the lemon juice into the baking dish.
bake + serve
Bake the sweet potatoes for 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Serve atop Fragrant Rice Pilaf (see recipe) and wash it down with Lemon-Berry Soda (see recipe).
Hi! I’m Sweet Potato!
"Sweet potatoes are root vegetables, like beets and carrots! We're very popular in the Fall, especially for holiday dinners, where you might find us baked whole or sliced and diced as part of a side dish. We also pair well with fruit and other vegetables in salads and casseroles."
History
- The sweet potato originated in Central or South America, and people began cultivating them in Central America at least 5,000 years ago.
- Sweet potatoes have been grown in Peru for almost 3,000 years and remain one of the major crops for people in Peru.
- When Columbus arrived in the New World, Native Americans were already growing and utilizing sweet potatoes. Columbus brought sweet potatoes back to Europe, and other explorers brought them from the New World to Asia.
- Sweet potatoes were cultivated widely in Colonial America and were a significant form of sustenance for farmers and soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
- As far as records show, orange sweet potatoes originally came from Puerto Rico and were named "yams" by Louisiana farmers to differentiate them from the white-fleshed variety grown in other parts of the country. Indeed, the sweet potato is officially the state vegetable of Louisiana! It's also North Carolina's official state vegetable.
- George Washington grew sweet potatoes on his estate at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
- North American supermarkets import much of their sweet potatoes from the Caribbean.
- February is National Sweet Potato month!
Anatomy & Etymology
- Sweet potatoes are edible roots, not tubers like potatoes. Actually, sweet potatoes aren't related to potatoes but are part of the Morning Glory family. Plants from this family produce beautiful flowers whose seeds were revered for their laxative properties by the Chinese.
- The flesh of sweet potatoes can be white, yellow, orange, or even purple!
- Enslaved African-Аmericans called the sweet potato "nyami" because it reminded them of the starchy, edible tuber from their homeland. "Nyami" is a Senegalese word that was eventually shortened to "yam." Sweet potatoes are often confused with yams, and this is why!
How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
- Sweet potatoes are eaten by people worldwide as they are a hearty crop that packs a lot of nutrition.
- It's best to store sweet potatoes in cool, dark, and dry places. They won't last as long in the fridge.
- Small, firm sweet potatoes tend to be sweeter and creamier. Large sweet potatoes contain more starch, as they've had more time to grow and develop the starches. Look for smooth, firm, even skin.
- Sweet potatoes should be cooked, not eaten raw. You can use them in many savory and sweet recipes.
- Sweet potatoes make an excellent side dish—you can bake, mash, or boil them—and their nutritional benefits are increased when combined with healthy fats, like avocado, butter, or olive oil!
- If they had their say, sweet potatoes might like to be known as everyday veggies rather than just for special occasions. For example, we in the United States eat more sweet potatoes around Thanksgiving than at any other time. But sweet potatoes are available year-round and should be enjoyed more often because of their benefits!
Nutrition
- Sweet potatoes are very nutritious! Their color can tell us which nutrients they contain (like many vegetables and fruits!).
- If a sweet potato is orange, it contains beta-carotene (other orange foods that contain this nutrient include carrots, shrimp, and oranges). Can you hear the name of a familiar vegetable in the word "beta-carotene?" Carrot! We know that beta-carotene is good for our eyes and skin. Have you ever been asked to eat your carrots because they are good for your eyes? Beta-carotene is why!
- Sweet potatoes also have vitamin K, which helps our blood clot. When we get a cut, our blood clots to stop the bleeding, and vitamin K helps with this!
- We often talk about fiber when we reveal our Surprise Ingredients because vegetables and fruits contain a lot of fiber. Sweet potatoes are no exception. So what does fiber help with? Digestion! And which body parts are responsible for digestion? Many, but namely our stomach and intestines.
What is Piccata?
"Piccata" is an Italian cooking term that means "pounded flat." It is used for a dish consisting of a butterflied or sliced chicken breast or veal cutlet that has been pounded flat, dredged in flour, and browned on both sides in butter or olive oil. The chicken or veal is served with a sauce made with pan drippings and added lemon juice, white wine or stock, butter, and capers. It is often garnished with parsley.
In addition to chicken and veal, swordfish is also used to make piccata; for a meatless version, you can try seitan piccata. "Seitan" is a food made from cooked wheat gluten. Or, you can try Sticky Fingers Cooking's meatless version that uses sweet potatoes instead of chicken: Rocco's Crispy Sweet Potatoes!
Let's Learn About the Midwest!
- The Midwestern United States is in the northern central part of the country. The Midwest is between the Northeastern states and the Western states. To its north is Canada, and to its south is the Southern United States.
- The twelve US states in the Midwest are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. People from these states tend to be very proud of their Midwestern heritage, friendliness, and traditional values.
- The term "Midwest" first appeared in the late 1800s to describe the areas of Kansas and Nebraska. It expanded to include the twelve states currently part of the Midwest.
- The first to settle in the area were Native Americans and French fur traders. In 1863, when the Homestead Act was passed, immigrants from Northern and Western Europe arrived to claim land for farms. They came from the British Isles, Germany, and Scandinavia. When Southern and Eastern European immigrants arrived, they settled in the cities because most of the available land had already been taken. Cities like Chicago, Cleveland, and Detroit began to grow with these new residents.
- Farmers grew wheat and corn, and others raised dairy cattle and pigs. The winters could be cold and harsh, and the summers hot and humid. They often had to deal with drought.
- The geography of the Midwest has grasslands (called prairies), lakes (including the Great Lakes), limestone bluffs, rivers (including the Mississippi), valleys, wetlands, and woodlands.
- Outside the cities, some of the animals you might see in the Midwest include American badgers, American bison, black bears, coyotes, gray wolves, prairie dogs, and white-tailed deer.
- Thousands of sandhill cranes migrate from Mexico and the Southern US to breeding grounds in Alaska every spring. On their way, they stop in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska for about a month to fill up on leftover corn kernels, insects, and worms before continuing north.
- The Midwest is known for having several college and professional baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, and soccer teams. These include the Chicago Bears (football), Detroit Red Wings (ice hockey), and St. Louis Cardinals (baseball). Other popular sporting events held in the Midwest include car races, like the Indianapolis 500, and golf tournaments, like the John Deere Classic.
- Various types of music developed their own styles when people from other countries or regions of the US came to the Midwest. Czechs and Germans brought the polka, and Southerners brought the blues, rock and roll, and jazz.
- Similar variations also occurred with Midwestern cuisine. There are influences from indigenous peoples and Europeans. Native Americans introduced bean, corn, potato, and pumpkin crops and taught settlers ways to preserve game. Scandinavians brought lutefisk, butter cookies, and æbleskiver. Germans brought sauerbraten, schnitzel, and pumpernickel bread.
- Some of the foods the Midwest is known for are Chicago-style hot dogs and pizza, Cincinnati Chili, Cleveland-style cassata cake, cookie bars, fish fries, fried pork tenderloin sandwich, Indiana sugar cream pie, Iowa loose-meat sandwich, Kansas City-style barbecue, Ohio buckeye candy and sauerkraut balls, Omaha steaks, Springfield horseshoe sandwich, and St. Louis gooey butter cake.
Lettuce Joke Around
Why do sweet potatoes make good detectives?
Because they keep their eyes peeled.
The Yolk's On You
What do you call a sweet potato that is reluctant to jump into boiling water?
Hez A Tator
THYME for a Laugh
What do you call a baby sweet potato?
A small fry!
That's Berry Funny
Why shouldn’t you tell a secret on a farm?
Because the sweet potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears.
The Yolk's On You
What do you call a sweet potato that is never motivated, but is content to watch others?
Speck-Tator
THYME for a Laugh
What do you say to an angry sweet potato?
Anything, just butter him up first.
That's Berry Funny
How do you describe an angry sweet potato?
Boiling Mad.
THYME for a Laugh
What do you call a sweet potato who spends a lot of time sitting and thinking?
MediTator!
