Sweet Potato Rounds
The lovely sweet potato. Unlike its cousin the regular spud, these Vitamin A-packed root vegetables can be whipped up to be savory OR sweet!
I love inventing the flavor balance between both & finding the perfect vessel to do so. It doesn’t have to be OVERLY sweet like dessert nor does it need to be heavily spiced to be considered savory. I believe I have found perfect harmony in my Sweet Potato Rounds recipe!
pretty on brand…
I’m sure you know where this is going. As the story usually goes, Chris was out of town. So, I was using that opportunity wisely for the blog! I started dreaming up something new I could try out without him most likely complaining about how much he isn’t a fan of what I’m testing out. That’s usually how it goes. *wink*
SO ANYWAY.
I was craving a pork chop. Usually with pork chops we do roasted red potatoes with Brussel sprouts – delicious, I know. This particular night, I wanted to jazz something up, but I didn’t know what. If this isn’t your first time reading with me, then you know exactly what my problem is. I am THAT meme. I am the woman that wants something, something good, but no hekkin idea what that something is. Round & Round we go. Damn, I make myself cringe.
let’s discuss this combo…
We usually save sweet potatoes for brunch – Chris makes THE BEST Sweet Potato Hash – if you care to look that oldie-but-goodie up! ((yea, I know what you’re thinking – “for someone who just complained they don’t like sweet potatoes….?” Yea trust, love the man but he makes no sense))
So, since we are in the winter season of pears & apples, I had some sitting in the drawer in the fridge. Usually, those delicious suckers are reserved for charcuterie & cheese boards, but on this particular day, they were going to be used for something extra special!
Sweet, juicy Asian Pear & a beautiful HoneyCrisp apple were my 2 choices for this to come together. Dicing each fruit into small pieces to then be sauteed with a pat of butter along with fresh thyme REALLY transformed the otherwise boring, thick slices of sweet potato!
Prepping the Sweet Potato Rounds by brushing them lightly with olive oil, seasoning with S+P and garlic powder and allowing them to gently roast in the oven while prepping this topping was the easiest way to make sure they were full of soft, flavorful bites! If you aren’t drooling already then you need to look ahead at these pictures & let your imagination run wild – let’s get to it!
Ingredients
· 1 large sweet potato, cleaned & peeled – cut into rounds, about ½ inch thick
· ½ Asian Pear, sliced & diced
· ½ HoneyCrisp apple, sliced & diced
· Juice of ½ lemon
· 1 TBS salted butter
· ¼ cup Gorgonzola Crumbles
· ¼ TSP Allspice
· ½ TSP fresh thyme, finely chopped
· Drizzle Mike’s Hot Honey
· S+P and Garlic Powder, to taste
Instructions, 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the sweet potato & trim off the pointy ends so your first “potato round” will have a flat surface.
Carefully cut into ½ inch thick rounds & lay in a single layer on a baking sheet. ((1 potato will probably give you 8-10 rounds))
Lightly brush olive oil on each side of the sweet potato & sprinkle with S+P and Garlic Powder.
Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway thru.
You want the sweet potato to be cooked thru – not too hard, yet not falling apart.
While your sweet potatoes are baking, slice & dice both the pear and the apple and chop the thyme.
Sautee over low heat with a pat of butter & sauté the apples and pears for about 5 minutes just until it starts to soften.
Sprinkle in the thyme & Allspice and squeeze in the lemon juice, stir to combine for 1 minute more and turn off the heat.
The key is to lightly heat the thyme but not COOK IT. You want the spice to bloom but stay sharp – delicious!
Remove the apples & pear mixture from the pan and empty into a bowl.
Stir the Gorgonzola crumbles into the bowl – the residual heat will gently allow the gorgonzola to soften beautifully.
Instructions, 2
Hopefully your timer for the sweet potato rounds is going off!
Pull your baking sheet out of the oven & with a spoon, gently scoop out the mixture from the pan and top each sweet potato round. It should smell SO yummy!
Once every single sweet potato round has been covered with your delicious mixture, place them back in the oven at 400 degrees for another 5-7 minutes.
The flavors will all mix & mingle together, the gorgonzola will definitely become more melty to help hold the pear and apple pieces together – YOU ARE IN FOR A TREAT.
Remove & serve immediately! I drizzled the Mike’s Hot Honey right overtop each Sweet Potato Round – trust me it needs that hit of sweet heat!
My Sweet Potato Rounds were perfect served alongside a juicy bone-in pork chop with honey mustard glaze & balsamic brussel sprouts – can you imagine all those flavors on 1 plate?? & all healthy to boot! GET OUTTA HERE!
Perhaps my Sweet Potato Rounds will make their way to your holiday table – nothing like serving up a holiday classic side with a boost!
Be sure to impress your guests with an extra smattering of fresh thyme – or even throw in some rosemary, that will jazz up this flavor even more!
From my holiday loving heart to yours, Merry Christmas, dear readers & friends.
something new for Christmas
I am totally a believer in traditions. I love them. One of MY traditions that I started with my now-husband when we had first moved in together & hosted our first Thanksgiving back in 2015 was that I wanted to incorporate something new each year into Thanksgiving and / or Christmas. It didn’t have to be a big deal. It didn’t have to be a repeat recipe year-after-year. I just wanted to test my culinary skills and do something exciting & outside the box for the holidays! I think new things are exciting, especially when they are thrown in with everyone’s favorites alongside it – it makes the experience less jarring *wink*
My Sweet Potato Rounds are no exception. These would pair perfectly with a Spiral Honey Ham, a Smoked Turkey Breast or even a healthier option with Prime Rib! Whatever you decide to serve this year, serve it with love & tell those you love that you’re wanting to start your own tradition – maybe something similar to mine, where the excitement lies in the experience of something new. Finding something new to tickle my fancy each holiday season brings me a ridiculous amount of joy because now my family knows *something* else will grace our table – and they are here for it! A few years back I did my 3 Cheese Scalloped Potatoes ((also available for your viewing pleasure here on the blog)) and they were THE BIGGEST HIT! I’ve even upped the ante by adding truffle oil – wooooooweeeee they are decadent & perfect for ANY holiday! From my table to yours, please enjoy this season & try something new for yourself! xoxo
Thanks for stopping by!
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If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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