Maple-Chili Roasted Potatoes

Crisp-tender, oven-roasted potatoes, shimmering from a sweet and smoky (2-ingredient) glaze. The spuds are sweet from maple syrup, smoky from chili powder, and roasted until caramelized, tender and slightly crisp. You need 3 ingredients and a max of 30 minutes. I know, right?

I absolutely LOVE when humble dishes produce stellar results. This is one of those times. When you use a few key ingredients, you don't need to complicate things. It's a non-complicated balance of smoky chili and sweet maple - two ingredients that, when paired, become seductive dance partners. Especially when you toss them with potatoes. And I've done this glaze with sweet potatoes, yielding equally amazing results.

About the chili powder: For this recipe (and many others), I like The Spice Hunter's Smoky Chile Global Fusion Rub. It's a unique and smoky blend of ancho and chipotle chili powders, cocoa, smoked paprika, sesame seeds, roasted garlic, cumin, black pepper, oregano, and allspice. There's a little sweetness to it too. All that flavor, in one little jar! And, as you can imagine, it delivers the perfect balance of sweet, salty and smoky flavors, with deep spice notes. It's great in this dish (when partnered with syrup), but it's also fabulous on chicken, beef, pork, and vegetables.

Maple-Chili Roasted Potatoes
Note: I call for a large baking sheet in the recipe, but you can also use your favorite cast iron skillet; as I've clearly done!

1 pound small red or gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon chili powder (see note above)
Salt and ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and olive oil. Toss to coat. Add the maple syrup and chili powder and toss to coat. Transfer the potatoes to the prepared pan and spread out in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender.
Top with parsley and serve.
Serves 4