This flavor-packed sweet potato dish is for those who like to veer from the traditional
Thanksgiving dishes and leave a lasting impression. Sweet potatoes coated with tahini,
cumin and lemon adorn a billowy bed of Greek yogurt and feta. Studded with crimson pomegranate seeds and fresh herbs, it’s a colorful, flavorful winner.
Whether served as a side for a holiday meal or as a satisfying main for a vegetarian feast, this easy dish is one that will be remembered.
I like to use a variety of sweet potatoes — yams, Japanese sweet potatoes, purple sweet potatoes — to showcase different colors and textures. Best of all for harried cooks, the potatoes can be roasted a few hours in advance, then heated to lukewarm when ready to serve.
Tahini-Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pomegranate and Yogurt
Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, divided use
1½ teaspoons salt, divided use
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Fresh cracked pepper
3 large sweet potatoes (any color), peeled and sliced in ½-inch thick wedges
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
½ cup chopped fresh herbs such as mint, cilantro, parsley and/or dill
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk together the tahini, olive oil, juice from half the lemon, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin and pepper. Place the sweet potato wedges on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Pour the tahini mixture over the sweet potatoes and use your hands to gently toss them, so they are evenly coated.
Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping potato wedges every 10 minutes or so until they are browned evenly on all sides. Set aside to cool to lukewarm or room temperature.
Meanwhile, use a mixer or whisk to whip together the Greek yogurt, feta, juice from the other half of the lemon and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt until smooth and creamy.
Spread the yogurt mixture across a serving platter and arrange the roasted sweet potato on top. Top with fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds and serve.
Registered dietitian and food writer Laura McLively is the author of “The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook.” Follow her at @myberkeleybowl and www.lauramclively.com.
