Thursday, December 16, 2010

Roasted Sweet Potato Discs with Herbed Goat Cheese

Roasted Sweet Potato Discs with Herbed Goat Cheese

This was the second appetizer I made for the fancy-but-not-fancy dinner I cooked for the "Better with You" cast. I initially had a difficult time coming up with something and was hoping to avoid another appetizer with cheese since I knew I already wanted to make the crostini, but I could not get this out of my head. The original plan was to make baked sweet potato chips, but a few test runs at my apartment didn't get me the results I wanted. I decided to go with thicker discs that I had recently seen on Smitten Kitchen and they worked out well. Ordinarily, I shun goat cheese, but when it packs an herby punch, it is difficult to resist. I found myself sneaking tastes of goat cheese when I could and saved a little for myself to recreate the dish at home.

I made a few other dishes for the occasion, but didn't get pictures of them. Here are a couple from previous posts.

Arugula Salad with Squash and Pomegranate. This time I used delicata squash, which made for really pretty half moons on the mound of salad.

Arugula Salad with Pomegranate and Roasted Acorn Squash

Pumpkin Shortcakes. This time, I used regular vanilla bean ice cream and an cranberry-apple compote to balance out the sweetness of it all.


From Dishing Up Delights


I also did a rockin' squash and pumpkin soup that I will have to make again ASAP because it was so good and I didn't get a picture of it.

Roasted Sweet Potato Discs with Herbed Goat Cheese
(Sweet Potatoes adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Herbed Goat Cheese by Esi)

Makes 12 servings

3 pounds sweet potatoes, washed, scrubbed, and sliced into half-inch thick discs
Olive oil as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
11 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously coat the sweet potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bottoms have browned. Flip, and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are crisp on the outside, but soft on the inside. Set aside to cool.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the goat cheese until it is fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the herbs and beat until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon or pipe the goat cheese onto the cooled sweet potato discs.

Printable Recipe

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11 comments:

Erica said...

WOW- these look amazing! I am a huge fan of both sweet potatoes and goat cheese. What a treat

Amanda said...

You pictures just blow me away... I feel like I am reading Bon Appetite!! Wonderful recipe!

Joanne said...

I LOVE your adaptation of this, first and foremost because it has NO CELERY! Muahahaha. And it has goat cheese. Oh so delicious.

Kristen - Dine & Dish said...

Those look so simple and delicious! YUM!

Banana Wonder said...

Loving this gluten free combo you got going on! Love all those orangey vegetables, no matter what.

Unknown said...

woah, you shun goat cheese? i don't think we can be friends anymore esi... sounds like you had such a fabulous dinner, wish i could've attended :)

Diana said...

I didn't realize you weren't much of a goat cheese fan! I think it's actually one of my favorites -- I love smearing it on my egg sams!

vanillasugarblog said...

pumpkin shortcakes? good lord woman. you tell me I'm creative, ummm HELLO! freak. love you girl, fabulousity is here.

lisa is cooking said...

This is such a great idea for an appetizer. And, the goat cheese with the sweet potatoes sounds like a delicious match!

Anonymous said...

This is so going to be our dinner one night next week. I just love simple, veggie packed meals. As a matter of fact, I could eat only roasted brussels sprouts for dinner and be perfectly content.

Kerstin said...

This is such the perfect flavor combo - yum!