photography by ashleigh amoroso
Raise your hand if you could happily eat sweet potatoes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. (anyone? anyone?) I’ve been craving them so much this fall and winter that I’m starting to think I might have some sort of condition. The happy result? Aside from my sky high levels of beta carotene, I’ve come up with all sorts of creative recipes to satisfy my cravings. Like these “faux-tini” (don’t worry, I’ll get to that.)
This recipe was born from my love of crostini, which is my go-to appetizer for dinner parties. I love the way you can get really creative with the toppings based on what’s in season, and what happens to be in your fridge on a given night.
I even devoted an entire section of my book to my favorite crostini recipes, and though I still love them, I’ve got to admit that this holiday season I’m on the hunt for appetizer ideas with maximum flavor but fewer refined carbs.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m still fully planning to enjoy a few carb-filled indulgences through the holiday season and am already dreaming about the sticky toffee cake at our annual holiday dinner and my mom’s almond kringle that makes an appearance every Christmas morning. But I know that I’ll feel better if I don’t indulge in loads of bread before a rich meal, and thankfully, these little “toasts” made of roasted sweet potato rounds are the perfect bread-free vessels for all my favorite crostini toppings.
Now for the real question. Faux-tini: is it a do or a don’t? I thought the name was pretty clever when I dubbed these babies at our photo shoot, but the groans coming from the rest of the team convinced me that maybe it was too cheesy to use in the title of this post. But if y’all are fans, it is totally not too late to re-name these.
So here’s how these work: sweet potatoes get sliced up into thin little discs, then coated with olive oil and sea salt before baking them until crispy. And there you go! The most full-of-flavor vessels for whatever cravings strike. And aren’t they pretty? I approached each one like a little canvas and got creative with smoked salmon, pears, pomegranate seeds, nuts, and honey. And hey, you could even set out all the ingredients and let guests build their own! #FauxtiniParty
These were the topping combinations I loved:
Start with herbed goat cheese, then:
- smoked salmon + chive
- pear + honey + thyme
- pomegranate seeds + candied pecans
Of course, one of the best things about these is that you can work with whatever ingredients you have on hand to create your own topping combinations. No pecans? Use walnuts or almonds instead. Swap in dried cranberries for pomegranate seeds, and avocado would be a great stand-in for the smoked salmon. Heck, I even love the idea of a creamy blue cheese instead of the goat. Get creative!
And if you share my sweet potato obsession, then you’ll love some of these others from our recipe archives:
How to Make the Perfect Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet Potato & Pomegranate Salad
Sweet Potato Crostini
Serves 8
You Won't Even Miss the Bread with These Sweet Potato Crostini
Categories
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, sliced into thin discs (peel left on)
- olive oil
- kosher salt
- ground cumin OR ground cinnamon (optional)
for toppings:
- 1 log herbed goat cheese, room temperature
- smoked salmon
- chives, snipped into 1-inch lengths
- pear, thinly sliced
- honey
- fresh thyme
- pomegranate seeds
- candied pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss together the sweet potato wedges with olive oil (just enough to lightly coat), a large pinch of kosher salt, and a few shakes of cumin or cinnamon, if desired.
- Spread in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. You want them in a single layer without overlap so they crisp up evenly, so you may have to divide them between 2 baking sheets. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip and roast for 5 - 10 minutes more, just until the edges are turning golden brown.
- Remove from oven and spread a small dollop of herbed goat cheese on each sweet potato. Return to oven for a couple minutes just until the cheese starts to melt.
- Place sweet potatoes on a serving platter or cutting board, then go crazy with the toppings of your choice! My favorites were:
- smoked salmon + chive
- pear + honey + thyme
- pomegranate seeds + candied pecans
Eat up!
Wow….just in time to change my sweet potato life and start getting more creative, especially for the smoked salmon and chives. Heaven!
Sounds to me like certain team members are a little jealous they didn’t come up with ‘faux-tini’ 🙂
I think it’s perfect. And I can’t wait to try these, especially the one with pomegranate and pecan.
Haha, EXACTLY. So happy that someone else shares my fauxtini love ?
I’m a sweet potato fanatic! I’ll definitely make these healthy fauxtinis (come on, it’s a cute name!). Here’s my decadent dessert version: top them with a broiled marshmallow and a toasted pecan! mmm.
Oh my gosh! GENIUS.
Have you tried other cheeses besides goat cheese?
I haven’t tried yet, but I think blue cheese would be amazing, esp with pears, pomegranates or a fig chutney on top. Let me know if you try it out!
Wow sounds good. Have you tried any other toppings yet?
x
Sweet potatoes have many vitamens/nutrients, not to mention they contain “good” estrogen. Consuming enough good estrogen blocks bad estrogen in the atmosphere from entering our bodies. Anything “orange” is extremely beneficial to one’s complexion and skin health and appearance. They are also noninflammatory.
I just finished making these for a birthday party tonight and they taste like little pieces of fall. It’s amazing. <333
Any suggestions on how to make the sweet potato discs. Would you suggest a vegetable peeler ?
Oh I absolutely love this idea! I’ve been loving sweet potatos so much this season and I’m just too happy to find another way to eat more of them 😉
Lucie,
http://thefrenchpier.blogspot.com/
Po-tini!
Tayto-tini? (Sorry, having too much fun)