recipe by: jeremy sewall and erin byers murray
photos courtesy of: michael harlan turkell

Cumin and the other spices make this dish sing, and the smell of them toasting is amazing. You can use ground spices if you don’t have whole ones, though grinding them yourself guarantees freshness. The pesto can be made ahead and goes well with many other dishes.

SERVES 4 AS A SIDE

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise. Cut the halves in half and then again, for 8 wedges per potato. In a small, dry sauté pan, combine the cumin, mustard seeds, and white peppercorns and toast over low heat until the spices become fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a spice grinder and pulse until finely ground. In a large bowl, combine the spices with the olive oil. Add the potato wedges, season with salt, and toss to combine. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes.
3. To serve, transfer the cooked potatoes to a serving bowl and distribute the pesto on top, or serve the pesto on the side.

Basil Pesto (Makes about 1 c.):

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, and garlic and pulse to combine. Leave the machine running and slowly add the olive oil until the mixture is well blended. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.