Chorizo and Sweet Potatoes

I know that it’s summer, and typically roasted sweet potatoes are not a summer dish.  However, we had some pretty ferocious thunderstorms in Northeast Ohio this afternoon, and I wanted food that was warm and comforting – roasted veggies definitely fit the bill!

I knew I had some chorizo in the fridge, so on the way home from work I picked up some cipollini onions and sweet potatoes.  Plus, I wanted to try my sunny-side up egg technique again!

The avocado got thrown in because it needed to be used before it got overripe – I hate to waste them!  I sliced it, added some lime and a little salt, and it was actually a nice touch.

Now that I look at the picture, all of this stuff would probably be good as filling in a breakfast burrito!  Hmmmm….I do have leftovers, so maybe I’ll try it tomorrow.

Only one problem:  Now that I’ve eaten, I think I need a nap!

Chorizo and Roasted Sweet Potatoes   (makes 2 large servings with some leftovers)

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1/2 lb cipollini onions, peeled
• 5 – 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 lb chorizo
• 2 eggs
• 1 avocado, sliced (add some lime juice to keep it from browning)
• olive oil, salt, pepper
• butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the sweet potatoes, onions and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake for about 1 hour.

When the veggies are almost done, remove the chorizo from it’s casing and brown in a large skillet over medium high heat.  When the chorizo is cooked through, remove the veggies from the oven and add to the skillet.  Toss the chorizo and veggies together to mix them and get everything coated in the oil from the chorizo.  Remove everything from the skillet.  (At this point, I served myself a hearty helping.)

(I used the same skillet to fry the eggs – it’s a cast iron skillet, so I just turned off the burner and wiped down the pan with a paper towel.)  Add a bit of butter to the skillet and turn the heat back on to medium high.  Add both eggs, salt and pepper.  Cook the eggs to the desired degree of doneness.  (I went for sunny-side up because I wanted to try and get a perfect runny yolk.)

When the eggs are done, place an egg on top of the chorizo and sweet potato mixture.  Serve with half an avocado and dig in!

Brian’s Avocado Toast

It’s going to sound silly, but avocado toast is a completely new concept to me.  I’ve put avocado on sandwiches, on pizzas, on tacos, but never just on a toasted piece of bread.  It’s my new favorite snack/lunch/side dish!

The original recipe that inspired this version of avocado toast was from my Smitten Kitchen cookbook – it was called an Avocado Tartine with Cucumbers and Sesame seeds.  The cucumbers were tossed in rice vinegar and sesame seed oil, and sesame seeds were sprinkled on top.  I made it yesterday afternoon for a snack, and Brian suggested adding some balsamic glaze.  The addition of the balsamic was perfect!

On a side note, Brian is the tester for the first versions of a lot of my recipes.  He’ll eat just about anything (except mushrooms), and he usually has great suggestions for changes or additions – just like this one!

So I adjusted the ingredients a bit and added the balsamic glaze to create Brian’s version.  I almost want to call it an avocado bruschetta, and you could definitely add some chopped tomatoes to the topping if you wanted.  It was light and summery, and went perfectly with the beautiful weather today!

Brian’s Avocado Toast (serves 2 for a snack, for a lunch it might be a single serving)

• a 6 inch section of baguette, sliced lengthwise
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup English cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• balsamic glaze (I recommend Gia Russa)

Toast the baguette pieces.

Mix the cucumber, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl.  Add a generous pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper.

Top the baguette pieces with the sliced avocado.  You could lay out the avocado slices all pretty on top, but I took a fork and lightly smushed them into the toasted baguette.  (It makes the avocado less likely to take a tumble off the bread while you’re eating.)  Top each piece with the cucumber mixture and finally, drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Eat and enjoy!

This post is linked to What’s in the Box?  at In Her Chucks.