There’s a new food fad these days, one that’s arguably a bit more healthy and easy on the wallet than most. No, I am not referring to the latest and greatest diet where all you drink is cranberry juice for 72 hours and lose three pounds (“Mean Girls” anyone?).
The latest and greatest I’m alluding to is none other than the sweet potato craze. These tots have emerged as the star menu item for restaurants everywhere. From upscale, hoity-toity venues to fast-food chains like Culvers, sweet taters are finally getting the recognition they have so patiently waited for.
I had my first sweet potato my freshman year at college–or so I thought. Side note: Apparently I used to eat these spuds so much as a babe that I acquired an orange hue, but I naturally have no recollection of that fateful time in my life. I had seen a number of Food Network chefs using these pink/orange delicacies, so I thought I’d shake up my usual russet baking potato with these oddly shaped tubers.
That first bite was akin to the first time my mother fed me chocolate cake, complete with eyes rolling in the back of the head and an audible “oh my god mmm” for all of my roommates to hear. Since that fateful day, I have abandoned the traditional baking potatoes and consumed a sweet potato in some shape or form at least four times a week. Alas, I have once again taken on a hint o’ orange. The old saying, “you are what you eat,” is most certainly true, but at least I can pretend like this tinge is just residual tan from the summer.
Enough about my obsession, though. Sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables, spicing up any dish whether sweet, savory, spicy or all three at once, not to mention incredibly wholesome. These taters are chalkfull of fiber and Vitamin C, contain more Vitamin A than virtually any other vegetable and pack more potassium than a banana. Worried about the approaching flu season? Eat a couple pounds of these tots, and I guarantee you won’t come down with so much as an irksome stuffy nose, let alone the fullblown flu.
I’ve used this super food in desserts, chili, tacos, soups/stews, falafel, and of course, as a substitute for classic fries and baked potatoes. I have a seemingly unending repository of sweet potato-based recipes saved on my computer, but the most recent concoction was a sweet potato pizza. I discovered the recipe while browsing through one of my favorite food blogs, Naturally Ella, and immediately told my roomie dinner was on me that night. She was understandably skeptical—who’s heard of a pizza with no sauce?—but I convinced her that this unique dish was a must try.
I added a few of my own touches to the original recipe, namely more cheese (I am a Wisconsinite after all), spinach and red onion.
For my readers out there who are ardent pizza consumers and cannot possibly imagine this mixture of ingredients constituting pizza, I implore you to give it a try. It may be my bias toward anything sweet potato, but I truly believe the flavor of this pizza is unrivaled by any other I’ve had the pleasure of tasting.
The feta cheese and spinach give the pizza a tangy, fresh flavor, and the mildness of the mozzarella cheese ensures that the sweet potato’s natural sweetness stays in the spotlight. Adding sauce would overpower the sensational medley of flavors, and quite honestly, less is usually more when it comes to fine dining.
So, without further adieu I present all of you pizza fanatics with my latest take on a traditional Italian cuisine. Love and best dishes.
Ingredients
Store bought or homemade pizza crust
1 large sweet potato (or 2 medium-sized)
½ large red onion
Couple of handfuls of spinach
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella (or more if you’d like)
½ cup of feta cheese
1 tablespoon of dried or fresh rosemary
Olive oil
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons of butter
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions
1). Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into ¼- ½ inch slices and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
2). Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Add the garlic, cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and stir in the rosemary. Cook for about 1 more minute.
3). Brush half of the butter mixture onto the prepared pizza crust. Top with the roasted potatoes, spinach, onion and mozzarella cheese so that the layers overlap. Pour the remaining butter mixture on top and sprinkle with feta. Finally, add a few dashes of salt and pepper.
4). Bake the pizza in the oven for anywhere from 10-15 minutes, depending on variations in oven temperatures. Once the mozzarella cheese is melted and the feta is slightly browned, take the pizza out to cool before cutting.
Note: If you like your pizza crust extra crispy, cook the crust by itself for a couple minutes in the oven before you add the toppings. This may take longer if the crust is homemade.
Serves: 3-4 (If we’re being real, it serves 2 hungry college kids)
Rating: 5 stars
