Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Chickpeas and Cilantro
This is a standby weeknight dish in my household. We make it with two whole sweet potatoes and usually have enough left over for lunch the next day.
It’s all about balance.
The goodness of this dish is all about balance: the rich, buttery sweet potatoes are complemented by tart lime juice and zest, sour plain yogurt, and fresh cilantro; and the softness of the potatoes and the goat cheese–yogurt spread are punctuated by the crispy chickpeas and the sharp bite of cilantro. The key is this: Let those sweet potatoes cook and caramelize. While you don’t want to blast them so much that they turn to mush, overcooking the sweet potatoes really isn’t a concern with this dish. There‘s so much going on that it’s not the texture of the sweet potatoes that’s important—it’s the rich, sweet flavor. So cook them until they’re done—like, done done—and don’t stress too much about overcooking.
Time: 1 hour total; 15 minutes active
Serves: A hearty dinner for 2 or a side dish for 4–6
Drink: A medium-bodied, high-acid white wine, like Bourgogne blanc. OR! If you want to think outside the box, a light-bodied sherry like Manzanilla or Fino pairs beautifully.
1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Roast chickpeas
Spread chickpeas on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and a lot of cumin. Toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes, or until deep golden-brown. Remove and leave the oven on. Dump chickpeas onto a plate and let cool at room temp to crisp up.
Upgrade! Use this slightly more involved, but essentially bulletproof, technique for the crunchiest chickpeas you’ve ever had. (The seasoning includes lime zest, which works perfectly with this recipe.)
3. Prep sweet potatoes
Cut each sweet potato into eight pieces by splitting each in half the long way, then cutting each half into four quarters. Leave the skin on—it’s yummy and good for you.
Place them on the sheet pan you just used for the chickpeas, skin-side up. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat.
4. Roast sweet potatoes until tender and caramelized, about 40 minutes.
5. Whip goat cheese and lime
Add goat cheese, yogurt, lime juice, and the zest from one lime (optional) to a medium bowl. Whisk with a stiff wire whisk to combine and soften. It’ll seem like the goat cheese is not going to smooth out but it will—just keep going. (You can also use a stand mixer or a hand mixer or a grand mixer, which is not a thing but it rhymes.)
6. Chop and dress cilantro
Right before you’re ready to serve, roughly chop some cilantro leaves and stems. I like to use a whole bunch, essentially covering the potatoes in a mountain of fresh greens. However, you can also scatter a few leaves as shown in the picture. Up to you.
Toss cilantro with the juice of half a lime, the shallot, and some freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss with your hands to make sure the shallot is well incorporated.
7. Put it all together
In a large, shallow bowl, spread the goat cheese mixture with the back of a spoon. Add the roasted sweet potatoes on top, in a rough single layer. Top with chickpeas and dressed cilantro.
8. Eat!
Do it, pal!
Um, excuse me?
What kind of sweet potatoes should I buy?
It doesn’t matter. I like the ones with bright orange flesh because they’re pretty but any kind will work.
I don’t like cilantro.
Ack, bummer! You can sub flat-leaf parsley in a pinch.
How do I know when the sweet potatoes are done?
When you can easily pierce the fattest part of the fattest piece with a fork.
I don’t have an hour to cook dinner on a weeknight. Is there anything I can do in advance?
Yep! You can do both the chickpeas and the sweet potatoes up to a day in advance. The chickpeas can be stored at room temp; reserve the sweet potatoes in the fridge. Bring the sweet potatoes up to room temp or warm them up for 15 minutes in a 300-degree oven before serving.
Also, you can use two sheet pans and roast the chickpeas and the potatoes simultaneously to save time. Make sure you let the chickpeas cool for ten minutes or so—the cooling is what crisps them up.
YOM, where can I find more dishes like this?
Try Dylan Joffe’s famous squash. You won’t be sorry.
