Sometimes when I don’t get a CSA bin…I go a little produce happy at the grocery store. This is a dangerous thing because I nearly always run out of week to actually make things with the stuff I buy before my CSA bin arrives on Friday. So, as this week went on…I was attempting to make sure I was using the items that I purchased in lieu of having to cancel my bin last week while I was out of town.
One of the items that I purchased at my new favorite grocery store (Earth Fare…if you have one, don’t walk…run there! Or drive. Your choice…) was potatoes. Two kinds. Your standard russet potatoes, which I baked up last night with a little olive oil, salt, butter and some (vegan) cheese melted over them. And sweet potatoes…because I love sweet potatoes. They are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium, and Iron. Plus, for the runner in me…a great source of nutritious, unprocessed carbohydrates.
So my quandary last night was just how I wanted to top these off. With sweet potatoes…you can get rather creative if you want. So, after glancing through the refrigerator…I settled on the recipe that follows.
Recipe: Sicilian Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Servings: 2
Time: Prep 10 minutes; Cook 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 6 ounces each)
- olive oil
- garlic salt
- garlic powder
- paprika
- dill weed
- dried rosemary
- 1/4 of a red onion, sliced
- salt
- 2 – 3 tbsp white wine
- 1 cup marinara (homemade or store bought)
- shredded mozzarella cheese (I used Mozzarella Flavor Rice Shreds)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rinse the sweet potatoes and pat each of them dry. Prick them numerous times with a fork.
In a small dish, mix together a blend of garlic salt, garlic powder, paprika and dill weed. Brush the sweet potatoes with a light coating of olive oil. Then sprinkle the seasoning mixture over them, turning to season each one entirely. Add a little dried rosemary over each of the sweet potatoes. Place on a baking sheet and then bake in the oven for 45 – 60 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, cut up 1/4 of a red onion into half-rounds.
Heat a pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add the red onion to the pan stir until the onions are coated in olive oil. Keep heating over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. After about 10 minutes, add a sprinkle of salt. Continue to cook over the lower heat until the onions are soft and anywhere from honey-colored to deep brown, depending on how caramelized you want them to be. Add a splash of the white wine and allow the onions to absorb it completely.
Next, heat up your marinara. I used my homemade marinara ( https://veggiefoodlover.wordpress.com/2012/06/30/recipe-homemade-marinara-sauce/ ), but you can use any store-bought variety as well. Just give it a warm over a hot burner or in the microwave.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and turn the broiler on. Cut a slit into the sweet potatoes and open them up. Spoon in the caramelized onion, then top each one with a generous serving of marinara. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top and then put in under the broiler for about 1 minute, or until the cheese has nicely melted.
Serve…and enjoy!
~*~*~
I know that marinara coated sweet potatoes sound a little bizarre, but trust me…these were amazing. The sweetness of the potato mingled so well with the sweet flavor of the caramelized onion. The rich tomato flavor of the marinara was the perfect topper. And the melted cheese on top just finished it off. It was like…sweet potato gnocchi without going through the trouble of making gnocchi from scratch. The potato cooked to a soft, sweet perfection…and it was topped off with a whole lot of vegetable goodness. And the seasoning on the skin was perfection on the tongue.
I’m totally making this again! I love it when a food experiment goes right.
The Celiathlete 