Sweet Potatoes w/Pecans & Goat Cheese

Imagine a meal that’s naturally sweet, but not by sugar.  A meal that has a satisfying crunch, and the after-taste of sharp, flavorful goat cheese.  A meal that balances salty and sweet in the most surprising ways that you have no idea what you are eating.  But boy, is it pretty.

These were the first impressions I experienced when I tried this rather out of the box take on baked sweet potatoes.  I love baked sweet potatoes with the skin on, but combined with a fresh vegetable relish with cranberries, pecans, and goat cheese? Now this was a dish I HAD to try.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love sweet potatoes about as much as Oprah, but I have to admit, this new variation is to die for! In fact, I like this dish so much I am at a loss of words on how to describe it.

Instead, I’ll let the simple, easy instructions give you their lead, and the final product do the talking.

Sweet Potatoes with Pecans & Goat Cheese

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Smitten Kitchen and can be found here.  I’ve been dying to make this unique spin on sweet potatoes since it was posted last November.  It was beautiful, elegant, and clearly looked delicious (although I understand the recipe was meant to satiate a 1-year-old’s appetite).  Regardless, it’s incredible and I would never have thought to add goat cheese to sweet potatoes!

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 lbs sweet potato, scrubbed, unpeeled, cut into 3/4-to-1 inch “coins”

* 4 tablespoons olive oil

* 1/4 cup toasted pecan halfs

* 1 green onion, minced

* 2 stalks celery, chopped

* 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped fine

* 1 tablespoon dried cranberries (“craisins”)

* 2 ounces goat cheese

* Salt & pepper

* 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

* 1 /2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1.) Preheat oven to 450F.  Wash potato(es) thoroughly.

2.) Cut potatoes into 3/4-to-1 inch “coins.”

3.) Place potatoes on an oiled baking sheet.

4.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5.) Roast for 15 minutes on one side and flip for an additional 10 minutes on the other side.  Remove from oven when done.

5.) Meanwhile, prepare the “salsa” that goes on top of the sweet potatoes.  Chop celery, green onion, toasted pecan halves, and parsley.  Add to a bowl with one teaspoon dried cranberries.  Mix to combine.

6.) In a separate bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, and Djon.  Whisk to combine and add to chopped ingredients.  Mix to combine.

7.) Now, plate sweet potatoes and dress with salsa and goat cheese.  I used about 1 teaspoon salsa for most smaller-sized potatoes, but used more if the potato coins were bigger.  Since I had a soft goat cheese, I cut it into small pieces and garnished the top of each potato.

Enjoy! Makes 4 servings.

–Helana Brigman

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