Prepare for a party on the plate.
Gray winter days call for an explosion of color on the plate, and that’s where loaded sweet potato wedges come in. Topped with a confetti of black bean pico de gallo and splashes of zingy cilantro lime crema, these spiced roasted wedges will make any weeknight dinner feel like a party.
High heat and direct contact with a bare metal baking sheet are both key to getting crispy wedges with great caramelization. Watch the sweet potatoes closely, flipping if they start browning too aggressively before they’re cooked through. In testing, I found that 20 minutes was the perfect amount of time to fully cook the sweet potatoes and get them brown and crispy on the bottom. But every oven heats differently, and sweet potatoes can caramelize (BURN) quickly, so I recommend checking the wedges after 15 minutes, just in case.
The joy (and straight-up deliciousness) of these loaded wedges comes from the riot of textures and flavors, so don’t wimp out on the toppings. The black bean pico de gallo adds freshness as well as little bits of crunch, while the cilantro lime crema brings cool silky softness to play off the dense, rich sweet potato. Feel free to customize the pico to your preference—change up the beans, add some corn, throw in a little finely chopped serrano or garlic to turn up the heat—but make sure to season aggressively with salt and plenty of freshly squeezed lime juice. You want it to pop.
These loaded sweet potato wedges are great for a game day snack, but they also make a perfect weeknight dinner. You can make the crema up to 2 days in advance, and even marinate the beans in the lime juice and salt, but I recommend waiting to prep and add the tomato, onion, and jalapeno to the pico until you’re ready to eat it. The same goes for roasting the sweet potato wedges: they’re at their crispiest when they’re hot out of the oven!
Enjoy!
Loaded Sweet Potato Wedges
(Serves 4)
3 large sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ lb.), cut into ½” thick wedges
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
1 ½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. ground cumin
2 ¼ tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
¼ red onion, finely chopped
¾ cup black beans, rinsed and drained
¼ c. freshly chopped cilantro, divided, plus more whole for serving
3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice, divided
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup queso fresco, for serving
Special Equipment: large metal baking sheet
Method
Preheat oven to 425° F, rack in the middle position.
In a large bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt. Add sweet potato wedges and toss to coat in spiced oil. Spread out on an unlined metal baking sheet, spacing wedges evenly cut-sides down. Roast until deeply browned on the bottom and tender in the middle, 18-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together tomato, jalapeno, red onion, black beans, and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt and toss to combine. Set aside to sit at room temperature.
In another large bowl, stir together sour cream, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
Arrange sweet potato wedges on platter and drizzle with cilantro lime cream. Top with black bean pico de gallo and queso fresco, and additional cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over, as desired.
Originally posted January 14, 2024.
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