Sweet Potatoes with Lime Reduction

I think this is going to become one of the staple side dishes in my house. I made it for a friend who came to dinner paired with a greek lemon-marinated grilled chicken, and a basic marinated roasted vegetable salad. I found the inspiration for this recipe on epicurious.com, and I will say, the core: the sweet potatoes, the lime, and the chives are a threesome that made a very solid base - the sweet, the sour, and the bitter/savory.

The funny thing is that this dish has lead to three separate conversations on the difference between chives and green onions (including one with my dentist!). The answer (I had to look it up) is this: they are both of the onion family, but difference species. a good explanation is here at The New Cook.

Ingredients:
for potatoes:
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1 to 1/2-inch cubes
3 Tbsps olive oil
salt
black pepper

for reduction:
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
juice and zest from two limes

2 Tbps chopped fresh chives

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl until coated well, then spread in 1 layer on a

shallow baking pans. Roast until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
While potatoes are roasting, mix water, sugar, and lime juice and zest to a simmer in a very small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves (about 30 seconds). Reduce to a simmer and let cook until the liquid is reduced to half (about 3-4 Tbps), which will take about 3-4 minutes.
Toss potatoes with syrup and zest in a large bowl, then sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.