Spiced Sweet Potato Sandwich with Feta
Each component of this sandwich is seasoned nicely, which helps each individual ingredient stand out on its own in addition to tasting delicious in combination with everything else. This is a dense sandwich that will surely leave you full for quite a while after you’ve eaten it.
Jeff used mint and cilantro for this recipe, but you can use parsley too in place of the cilantro if you so desire. You might even use all three in conjunction with one another. The sweet potato is made in the oven in a cast iron skillet, but any oven safe pan will do if you do not have a cast iron skillet. Just make sure you aren’t overlapping the sweet potato, and you can certainly make them in two batches if necessary.
If feta cheese isn’t your thing, the Mexican cheese Queso Fresco can be used as a substitute. It has a similarly crumbly texture to feta cheese. The flavor won’t be exactly the same, but some people are a little thrown off by feta cheese. The beet slaw for the top of the sandwiches as well as the mayonnaise are also things that may throw you off, but those you should absolutely try! They are wonderful on this recipe.
You could even eat these sandwiches as deconstructed pieces and they would still be delicious. Some of our taste testers were caught grabbing pieces of sweet potato alone and eating them quickly, hoping no one would notice. The smell of these sandwiches is intoxicating and will permeate your kitchen while you are cooking. The sweetness of the sweet potato is perfectly complimented by the savory cheese, and the smell will have your mouth watering before you even get a taste.
- 1 large sweet potato (about 12 oz), peeled, sliced
- 1 tsp Ancho or Meco Chile Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium beet, cut into matchsticks or grated
- 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
- 3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- 1 large clove garlic, finely grated (we roasted ours)
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1-1/2 cups cilantro/mint/ and or parsley left in leaves or chopped
- 4 oz block of feta, thinly sliced into planks
- 2 Kaiser rolls
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a medium bowl, combine sweet potato slices, chile powder, cumin and olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, making sure the sweet potato slices are well coated.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, arrange slices in a single layer. Cook about 2 minutes on each side. Cook in batches if necessary. Transfer cooked slices to a baking sheet, and place in oven. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine beet, onion, and vinegar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Set aside.
- Use broiler in oven and toast the rolls until golden brown.
- To assemble sandwiches first, drain all the excess liquid from the red beet mixture. Spread mayo on the rolls. Place feta slices down first. Sweet potato slices are next, followed by beet mixture and herbs. Place top bun on, slice in half if desired, and serve.
