Had your fill of sweet potatoes made even sweeter with brown sugar? These quick-baked sweet potato “chips” flip the script with garlic and melt-in-the-mouth fried sage. Serve as colorful hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party; as a crisp side course for barbecued pork, roasted turkey, or a holiday ham or tenderloin; or as a stand-in for movie popcorn on the couch with a beer on a chilly Friday night. Not bad for a recipe that only takes 25 minutes and four ingredients.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

　　

FOR SWEET POTATOES

3 large garlic cloves

　　1/4 cup olive oil

　　3/4 teaspoon salt

　　2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

　　

FOR FRIED SAGE

1/3 cup olive oil

　　24 fresh sage leaves

　　

ROAST SWEET POTATOES

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 450°F, with the rack in the upper third.

　　

Step 2

Purée the garlic with the oil and salt in a blender until smooth. Toss the sweet potatoes with the garlic oil in a large bowl, then spread in a single layer in a 15 by 10-inch shallow baking pan. Bake until golden in patches and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.

　　

FRY SAGE LEAVES AND SERVE

Step 3

Heat the oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then fry the sage leaves in 2 batches, stirring, until crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

　　

Step 4

Serve the sweet potatoes with sage leaves scattered on top.

　　

DO AHEAD

Step 5

The SWEET POTATOES can be cut and tossed with garlic oil 4 hours ahead and chilled in a sealable bag. Sage leaves can be fried 4 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

　　The Epicurious Cookbook