tian of roasted sweet potatoes, rosemary, and grape tomatoes

It is very chilly today in New Hampshire - 40 degrees when I got up. I was going to make poached chicken with green grape salad for an early lunch, but with the weather change, I was craving something hot and earthy. I poached some boneless chicken and sliced it, then topped it with the roasted vegetables - but I liked the vegetables so much, I ended up eating almost all the veggies, and only a few bites of chicken.

Obviously, you can substitute all sorts of vegetables, especially if you don't like tomatoes. I think next time I'll try this with some artichoke hearts, in addition to the sweet potatoes and tomatoes. Doesn't that sound good?

You can also serve this atop orzo or a nice bowl of hot rice.

To make:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 small box grape tomatoes, rinsed and dried

Half a yellow pepper, seeded and sliced into strips

1 large onion, peeled and sliced into strips

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. thyme, or several sprigs of fresh thyme

salt and pepper

2 T. fresh rosemary, stripped from stems

Preheat oven to 375F.

Drizzle the olive oil into a non-reactive casserole or tian - I used a flat ceramic tart pan.

Add the vegetables, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Place uncovered in the hot oven, baking approximately 40 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove and scatter rosemary over top, mixing in gently with a large spoon. Serve with chicken, or on top of rice or pasta. Check seasoning before serving - more salt is usually needed, as well as freshly cracked pepper.

Enjoy!