What do you do when you need a laugh? I have a suggestion: pick up the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living and read Martha’s monthly calendar in the front. I’m not sure if it’s even meant to be funny, but it reads like something straight out of McSweeney’s or Shouts & Murmurs. Here are some 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

I could go on. I used to have a subscription, and every month I would read the calendar out loud to Alex and laugh so hard it would bring tears to my eyes. Can you imagine being like, What am I doing today? Oh, that’s right! Cleaning my lily pond.

I don’t mean to discredit Martha. On the contrary–I love many of her recipes! Some of them, like these sweet potatoes roasted with Old Bay, are downright genius. I never would have thought to pair Old Bay with anything other than seafood or a Bloody Mary. But the results are spicy and sweet and absolutely perfect.

Since Old Bay makes me think of crab cakes, I decided to pair these potatoes with a quick and easy avocado tartar sauce for dipping. The sauce is delicious, but entirely optional. These potatoes are good enough to serve by themselves.

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. Combine the sweet potatoes, olive oil, and Old Bay on a baking sheet and toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Meanwhile, mash the avocado in a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, relish, and lemon juice and stir until well combined.

Serve the potatoes with the avocado tartar sauce on the side.