Roasted Sweet Potato Chunks + Video

These roasted sweet potato chunks make a hearty autumn side dish with simple seasonings, tender centers and delicious browned edges.

In this cooking show, I roast them around a curry-coated chicken with rice stuffing. The sweet potatoes soak up those gorgeous roasting juices, bringing a little sweetness to a savory fall dinner.

This is the kind of meal I love having in the oven while I work through autumn chores and get things ready for winter.

Roasted Sweet Potato Chunks for a Fall Dinner

Sweet potatoes do not need much fuss. A little oil, salt, cracked pepper and a dash of cayenne are enough to get them ready for the roasting pan.

For this batch, I use red Kampot peppercorns from Cambodia. I crush about eight to ten peppercorns and toss them with the sweet potato. You can use the pepper you have on hand, too.

The curry chicken brings another layer of flavor as everything roasts together. The result is soft, flavorful sweet potato with some browned bits—the parts I especially look forward to eating.

Watch: How to Roast Sweet Potato Chunks

Watch my demonstration, then follow the ingredients and instructions below.

Ingredients for Roasted Sweet Potato Chunks

This is a flexible method rather than a recipe with precisely measured quantities. Use enough oil to coat the pieces lightly, then season to your taste.

Sweet potato, peeled and cut into evenly sized chunks
Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the chunks
About 8–10 red Kampot peppercorns, crushed, or your preferred pepper to taste
Salt, to taste
A dash of cayenne pepper, or to taste

In the video: I cook the sweet potatoes around a curry-coated chicken with rice stuffing. The chicken, curry coating and stuffing are separate preparations.

You can also roast the seasoned sweet potatoes in their own baking dish.

How to Roast Sweet Potato Chunks

Preheat the oven. In this demonstration, I start at 410°F (210°C), then reduce the temperature to about 360°F (182°C) after the first 10–15 minutes.
Wash and peel the sweet potato. If you want to save the peelings for stock, scrub the sweet potato thoroughly before peeling and reserve only clean, sound peelings.
Cut into chunks. I initially cut pieces about 2–2½ inches across. Keep them as uniform as possible so they cook at a similar rate. Use a sharp knife and a stable cutting board—the raw sweet potato is firm.
Season. Put the chunks in a bowl. Add olive oil, crushed peppercorns, salt and a dash of cayenne. Toss until the pieces are evenly coated.
Arrange in the roasting pan. For the meal shown, distribute the sweet potatoes around the prepared curry chicken. If cooking them separately, spread them in a lightly oiled baking dish with room to turn them.
Begin roasting. Roast at 410°F for 10–15 minutes. I check the pan at about 12 minutes in the video and move the pieces around. I also cut some pieces smaller at that point to help them cook more quickly.
Reduce the heat. Turn the oven down to about 360°F and continue roasting. I use convection for this stage in the demonstration. Check partway through and turn the sweet potatoes so different surfaces have contact with the pan.
Check tenderness. Allow roughly an hour at the lower temperature as a planning guide, then adjust as needed. The actual time depends on chunk size, your oven and how full the pan is. A knife or fork should slide easily into the center of the sweet potato, and the pieces should have some golden-brown edges.
Check the chicken separately, if using. Use a food thermometer rather than color or cooking time to judge poultry. The chicken must reach at least 165°F (74°C), checked in the thickest breast and the innermost thigh and wing without touching bone. The center of any stuffing must also reach 165°F.
Finish and serve. If the chicken and stuffing reach their safe temperatures before the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the chicken to rest while the sweet potatoes finish roasting. Serve the tender chunks with a little of the fully cooked pan juices.

Cooking with chicken: Sweet potatoes that share a pan with raw chicken also come into contact with its juices. Do not taste them during cooking; make sure they and the juices reach at least 165°F (74°C) before serving.

The Secret Is Tender Centers and Browned Edges

Roasted sweet potato chunks with browned edges beside curry-coated chicken in a roasting pan — Tender sweet potato chunks with delicious browned edges. Illustrated recreation inspired by my cooking demonstration.

Look for both tenderness and a little color.

The browned edges bring that lovely roasted flavor, but the middle needs to be soft, too. Test one of the larger pieces rather than relying only on the smallest chunks.

If a piece still feels firm in the center, give the pan more time. Turn the chunks as needed and keep checking.

In the finished dish, mine are wonderfully soft and have soaked up the chicken juices. That combination of sweet potato, savory juices and curry makes me very excited for dinner.

Keep the Seasonings Flexible

Olive oil is my choice here, but vegetable, canola, sunflower or safflower oil are other options mentioned in the show.

You can adjust the cayenne to suit your table. A dash gives the sweet potatoes a little heat without making the seasoning complicated.

The peppercorns do not have to be the same ones I use. Crush your favorite pepper and season to taste.

If you roast the sweet potatoes separately from the chicken, they will have their own oil-and-spice flavor rather than the curry-flavored roasting juices shown in this episode.

Save Those Sweet Potato Peelings

I like finding another use for vegetable trimmings when I can.

Clean sweet potato peelings can go into a vegetable stock or chicken broth that you will strain afterward. They contribute a little sweetness and another layer of flavor.

Use them promptly, or freeze them for a future batch of stock. Discard any moldy, spoiled or damaged portions.