Sweet Potatoes with Warm Pepita Dressing and Goat Cheese

Do other people hoard recipes? I’ve got a recipes folder on my computer, a recipes folder in my Gmail, and three giant three-ring recipes notebooks on my kitchen shelves. I’ve made many of the recipes stashed in the folders – there are lots of notes and scribbles in those three-ring notebooks. But many are just sort of on my wish list of recipes I might make someday. This one for sweet potatoes was one of them, and thank goodness I got around to making it!

Deb Perelman of The Smitten Kitchen wrote that she was craving her Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Pepita Dressing while lounging on the beach in Mexico. And I get it. This “salad” – or side, or meal in itself – is so deceptively simple and sooooo downright delicious. Like eat-it-for-breakfast delicious. And might-make-for-Thanksgiving delicious. 

Roasted sweet potato slices, instead of cubes, make for a “leafy” texture, as Deb writes. Leafy, as in no solid cubes. Simply warming pepitas in olive oil crisps the pepitas and infuses the oil with a nuttiness that dresses the potatoes. Cilantro, avocado, and lime freshen things up. I skipped the black beans in Deb’s original recipe, wanting something a bit less hefty. And instead of cotija, I used crumbled goat cheese, which was creamy and tangy and the perfect topping to all the yumminess.

Thank you, Deb Perelman, for all of your inspiration, but most especially for this one. It’s just wow.

Sweet Potatoes with Warm Pepita Dressing and Goat Cheese, adapted from The Smitten Kitchen, could be considered a salad or a side or could be a meal in itself. It's deceptively simple and downright delicious. 

Sweet Potatoes with Warm Pepita Dressing and Goat Cheese
Adapted from The Smitten Kitchen

2 pounds sweet potatoes, about 4 medium (look for longer, skinnier sweet potatoes)
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup raw pepitas
1 large avocado
1 lime
1 big handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (or more to taste)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and then into ¼-inch half-moon slices. Coat the parchment on the baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Scatter the sweet potato slices over and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and many grinds of black pepper. Spread them evenly on the pan. Roast for 20 minutes, then flip the potatoes and roast another 15 minutes, until all the pieces are tender and have brown spots.

While the potatoes roast, place the pepitas and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan or skillet and warm over medium heat. Let the pepitas sizzle in the oil for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are toasty. Remove from the heat and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set the pepitas and oil aside.

Chop the avocado into ½-inch cubes, and, in a small bowl, toss with juice from ½ of the lime. 

When the potatoes are ready, use a wooden spoon to transfer them to a medium bowl. Pour the pepitas and oil over them and toss gently. Sprinkle the cilantro and scallions over the potatoes, toss gently, and top with avocado and goat cheese. Squeeze the remaining ½ lime over the top and serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers are also great cold from the fridge.