Sweet Potatoes With Pecans and Goat Cheese

Since I posted about my love of sweet potatoes earlier this week via a prepackaged item, I thought I should end the week by sharing my favorite sweet potato recipe.  It combines two of my favorite things: sweet potatoes and goat cheese.   I think goat cheese makes everything taste better-not that sweet potatoes need much help.  When I first joined Pinterest I loved all the recipes people shared and was determined to try many of them.  So, a few weeks later when my husband went out of town for work I had a week to try Pinterest recipes.  From that week of new recipes, this was one of my favorites and I make them A LOT.  The best part is, if you have kids (or a picky hubby like I do which is why I tried all the new stuff while he was out of town) you can leave the topping off and serve the roasted potatoes plain.  Fine with me you picky eaters, means more topping for me!  They are also easy to make, but look very appealing and fancy once plated.  If you have some company you want to impress with taste AND presentation add this to the menu. 

Sweet Potatoes With Pecans and Goat Cheese
Serves 2 1/2
1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, scrubbed, unpeeled, in 3/4- to 1-inch coins
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup pecan halves (original recipe says to toast and cool them, but I never do that and I think it’s fine)
2 tiny or 1 small shallot
2 stalks celery
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
2 ounces goat cheese (if you’ve never cooked with goat cheese before you can buy a block of it and crumble it yourself or you can purchase it already crumbled)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Lay sweet potatoes in one layer on the oiled sheet. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece: the undersides should be blistery, dark and a bit puffy and should release from the pan with no effort. If they’re not, let it cook longer. Sprinkle them with additional salt and pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops.

Meanwhile, prepare your salad. Chop your pecans well, mince your shallot, chop your celery and parsley.  Crumble your goat cheese and stir into pecan mixture.  In a small dish, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon. Pour half over the salad and stir.
When the sweet potatoes are done place them on a serving platter.  (When it’s just me I leave them on the pan) Scoop a spoonful of the salad mixture over each round. Pour remaining salad dressing over top and enjoy.

Sliced and on the pan before baking them

This is what the salad mixture looks like before you put it on the potatoes

Finished product.  And lesson learned.  I told you they were pretty and then I took a picture of them on my nasty sheet pan.  Imagine them on a dinner plate and you get my drift!

*I know some people do not like leftovers very much, but I think they are great.  I always pack my lunch and these hold very well for a few days.  In fact, I have some in the refrigerator right now….gotta go!