I am super happy to be able to share a recipe with you guys today that comes straight from my friend Steph’s upcoming book, The Performance Paleo Cookbook! If you’re an athlete of any level, you’ll be psyched to see that she has written the ultimate guide to fueling your workouts with real food.

You probably know Steph from her website Stupid Easy Paleo, where she dishes up simple, approachable and downright freaking delicious food with a side of nutritional knowledge bombs and athletic inspiration. She knows what’s up when it comes to sport and nutrition, rocking it as both a certified holistic nutritionist and as an athlete whose passion has seen her run triathlons, kick ass at Crossfit and even qualify for the American Open as an Olympic weightlifter. She powers her performance (and her PRs!) with a Paleo diet that focuses on nutrient dense foods – no gimmicks, no fads, no fuss. And now she’s going to show YOU how to do the same!

I’ve been lucky enough to take an early look at The Performance Paleo Cookbook and have been blown away both by how beautiful it is AND how practical it is at the same time. Gorgeous food photography? Check! Recipes that you want to make right-this-minute? Yup! All the info you could need to make up the perfect plate to fuel your athletic pursuits and needs? Indeedlydoodly!

The Performance Paleo Cookbook releases January 6, 2015 but you can pre order your copy to get the best possible price now! And if you’re pre ordering over on Amazon, you can get an additional 25% off using the code “BOOKDEAL25” at checkout – but that offer ends at midnight PST Sunday December 14, so hurry up!

One of the chapters is devoted to carb dense sides and I get to share one of those recipes with you today. Since I have much in common with Samwise Gamgee through my profound love of spuds, this chapter was particularly exciting! In a former life, I very much agreed with Sam that any meal could be improved by a tater. Actually, I probably still do 😉

These days, though, nightshades are out of my diet while I follow the AIP, so I was happy to see this excellent idea for making these super crispy Hasselback Sweet Potatoes! While Steph calls for ghee – which I know would be amazing – it’s easy to make this recipe AIP friendly by switching up the fat used to top the taters. Try using tallow or good quality lard, instead – they will make a perfect compound “butter” in the same way. Or, for a lovely smoky flavor, try subbing duck fat, instead!

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Compound Herb Ghee

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Deliciously roasted sweet potatoes with a dollop of healthy fat Hasselback potatoes originated in Sweden, and they make basic roasted spuds special. When roasted in the oven, the fan-shaped cuts get crispy and delicious. Top these sweet potatoes with a compound butter of ghee and fresh herbs for a sophisticated finish.

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb (454 g) white sweet potatoes
1 tbsp (15 mL) melted ghee (or lard for AIP)
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp (30 g) ghee (or fat of choice for AIP)
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary, about 1 sprig
1 tsp fresh thyme, about 5 sprigs

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Scrub the skin of the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Use a very sharp knife to make several vertical cuts from the top of the sweet potatoes most of the way through, stopping about ¼ inch/6 millimeters from the bottom. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Brush with the melted ghee and sprinkle the sea salt on top. Roast for 60 to 75 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, make the compound ghee. In a small bowl, combine the ghee, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Stir well with a spoon until it forms a soft mixture. Top the hot roasted sweet potatoes with the compound ghee.

One last thing! Steph will be hitting the road on a book tour coming soon with Ciarra from Popular Paleo! That means you get to meet and hang out with the authors of both The Paleo Performance Cookbook AND The Frugal Paleo Cookbook at the same time, in the same place – how awesome! Check out the dates and cities they’ll be hitting up below.