55: Grilled Roasemary & Oregano Laced Chicken / Ginger Caramelized Sweet Potato Cakes / Garlic Broccoli

Here is another dinner I was able to cook by simply taking stock of my refrigerator and pantry. I love meals like this because I don’t have to go out and buy anything, and I try to grill as much as possible when it’s nice enough to do so. Dinner was a little hands on because of the timing with starting the grill and cooking the sweet potatoes, but it should be relatively easy to replicate on your own. Plus, I got to use herbs from my garden. The interplay of texture and flavors works really well together in this dinner.

We drank a tempranillo with this meal because it pairs well with the herbs and bitter/sweet contrast of the broccoli and sweet potatoes. It’s also not too big a wine that it would overpower anything on the plate.

Ingredients and Directions:

2 chicken breasts

Rosemary and oregano, finely chopped

1 large sweet potato, peeled and sliced into spheres

Ginger

Sugar

6-8 broccoli florets, sliced in half

Olive Oil

1 large clove of garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

For the chicken: Very lightly coat the chicken in olive oil. Now dredge the chicken breasts through the herbs on one side only. Add salt and pepper. Firmly press herbs and seasoning into chicken breasts. If using a charcoal grill like me, I recommend starting your grill after you have prepared the chicken breasts. Grill chicken to desired doneness. I like to undercook chicken just a tad to keep it moist. I think the breasts took about 10 minutes on the grill.

For the sweet potatoes: Boil in salted water for about 10 minutes, drain. You want them firm but not mushy, since you’ll be finishing them in a pan. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sauté sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes on each side. The trick to caramelization is to dust a healthy amount of sugar and ground ginger for each side of the sweet potatoes. Don’t forget salt and pepper. If they’re not turning black, or charred, turn up the heat and/or add more sugar. They should be crispy on the outside but soft on the inside.

For broccoli: Pretty standard preparation. Heat some olive oil and sauté broccoli with garlic, salt, and pepper for 3-5 minutes. Arrange everything on a plate.

Enjoy!