Sweet potatoes are about as perfect as nextovers get: They’re versatile; they keep well, even after being cooked; and it takes almost the same amount of effort to roast eight as it does one. Roasting sweet potato halves a method I picked up in the Epicurious test kitchen cuts down significantly on the cooking time and opens up more possibility for browned, caramelized edges.
Ingredients
- 8 (roughly 9-ounce) sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- ½ cup (packed) chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for seasoning (optional)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels
- Hot sauce, for serving
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and toss with the vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt on a large rimmed baking sheet (divide the potatoes between two baking sheets if things seem crowded). Arrange the potatoes cut side up and roast until fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, warm a 12-inch heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat, until there’s a slick of chorizo fat covering the bottom of the pan and the chorizo has started to brown, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo to a plate (leave the fat behind in the pan).
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet; shake the skillet so that the mushrooms fall in a more or less single layer. Now let them sit, undisturbed, until well browned, 3 or 4 minutes. (It may get a little smoky. If the mushrooms start to burn, add a teaspoon of vegetable oil.)
- Stir the mushrooms or shake the skillet to cook the other sides of the mushrooms for a minute or two. Stir the chorizo into the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the chorizo gets a little crispy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and red pepper flakes. (If the chorizo is really spicy, feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes.) Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and/or red pepper flakes as needed. Keep warm until the potatoes are ready.
- Stir the lime juice into the sour cream.
- Use the back of a large spoon to lightly flatten 8 sweet potato halves. Put two halves on each plate and schmear each half with a tablespoon of lime sour cream. Divide the mushroom mixture among the sweet potatoes (you’ll get about ¼ cup mixture per potato half). Top each potato with a generous spoonful of red onion and a scattering of cilantro, and serve with hot sauce on the side.