What do you do when you need a laugh? Try flipping open the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living and reading Martha’s monthly calendar in the front. Whether intentional or not, it often reads like something from a humor column—small, charmingly specific tasks that sound a little absurd. A few examples:
Make up bedrooms and set out slippers for weekend guests
Bring a bowl of fresh eggs to the office
Make Concord grape jelly
Wash all cats
Those short entries used to make me laugh out loud. I once had a subscription and would read the calendar aloud to Alex; we’d end up laughing until we cried. It’s easy to picture someone planning their day and pausing to say, “What am I doing today? Oh, that’s right—cleaning my lily pond.”
I don’t mean to dismiss Martha Stewart—far from it. I enjoy many of her recipes, and some are genuinely brilliant. One such idea is roasting sweet potatoes with Old Bay seasoning. I never would have considered pairing Old Bay with anything beyond seafood or a Bloody Mary, but the blend of savory spices with sweet potatoes is surprisingly perfect: warm, slightly spicy, and naturally sweet.
Because Old Bay evokes crab cakes and classic seafood flavors, I paired these roasted sweet potatoes with a quick avocado tartar sauce for dipping. The sauce is optional, but it complements the potatoes nicely. Even without the dip, the potatoes stand on their own as a flavorful side dish.
Old Bay Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Tartar Sauce
Makes 4 servings
Potatoes adapted from Martha Stewart
For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks (skins on)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Old Bay
For the tartar sauce:
1 large, ripe avocado
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 450°F. On a baking sheet, toss the sweet potato chunks with the olive oil and Old Bay until evenly coated. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through so they brown evenly and become tender.
While the potatoes roast, prepare the avocado tartar sauce. Mash the avocado in a medium bowl, then stir in the vegan mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and lemon juice until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Adjust the lemon or relish to taste if you prefer more brightness or sweetness.
When the potatoes are golden and soft, transfer them to a serving dish and offer the avocado tartar sauce on the side for dipping. These roasted Old Bay sweet potatoes make a great accompaniment to grilled proteins, a hearty salad, or simply as a snack on their own.
Enjoy the unexpected pairing: the warmth and spice of the Old Bay-roasted potatoes balanced by the cool, creamy tang of the avocado tartar. It’s an easy recipe with surprising depth of flavor—proof that a small twist can turn a familiar ingredient into something new and delightful.