Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Nealey Dozier

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

During festive season, don't forget to find pleasure in everyday cooking

Thanksgiving is but the opening salvo in what can seem like a six-week marathon of entertaining at the end of the year. December brings lots of opportunities to feed the people we love, from Christmas cookie baking to formal sit down dinners, and everything in between. But what about feeding ourselves?

Now is the time when I start to get creative in the kitchen, trying out multitudes of new recipes in search of the real keepers. But with so much festive food coming out of my kitchen, I have tendency to forget about all of the "regular" meals I need to eat in between. I often find myself in a dinner rut, throwing together a hodgepodge of ingredients just to make it to the next meal.

I realized what a shame this is, so I vowed to make some time this month to nourish myself in between all of the holiday cooking madness. This simple yet tasty bruschetta came about from that promise. Last year, I had a couple of sweet potatoes left over from Thanksgiving and wanted to use them in a new and creative way. After a little pantry raid, I came up with my new favorite fall lunch.

The quantities are only guidelines; you can adjust the recipe to your liking. The only real requirement is to use the highest quality ingredients you can get your hands on. I prefer a dark Grade B maple syrup, the smoothest olive oil and a tangy French goat cheese. Trust me, it truly makes a difference here.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

Serves 4-6.

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 to 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 (1/2-inch) slices sourdough bread, cut on the diagonal

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (roasted, salted and shelled)

4 ounces goat cheese, at room temperature

Sea salt and olive oil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together maple syrup and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add diced sweet potatoes to the maple syrup mixture and season generously with salt and pepper; toss until well combined. Evenly spread the potatoes on a rimmed sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium-high to high heat. Brush the bread slices on both sides with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Grill the bread until grill marks begin to form and the bread is golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Toss the roasted sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds. Spread a heaping tablespoon of goat cheese onto each slice of bread. Top with a pile of sweet potato mixture. Drizzle with good-quality olive oil (or a nut oil such as hazelnut or pistachio) and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy with a napkin.

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Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

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