The annual gauntlet of holiday menu planning and cooking always puts a wide variety of recipes on our radar during the research phase. This recipe stood out while perusing appetizer options on food52.com (a long-standing favorite of ours). It had all of the earmarks of the perfect holiday starter—short ingredient list, simple preparation, scaleable, inherently gluten free and adaptable. Given all of that, you can see why we wanted to share a version of it here on the blog. The original recipe is taken from the cookbook Around the Fire: Recipes for Inspired Grilling and Seasonal Feasting from Ox Restaurant, a popular Portland eatery that pairs the farm-to-table sensibilities of the Pacific Northwest with the traditional open-fire cooking techniques of Argentina. (PS – Road trip!)
That version featured a button mushroom and white wine confit as the topper, which is absolutely happening at some point, but it was one step too many for our purpose of a simple appetizer. While the confit would (and will) make for a lovely vegetarian meal served over our Ultra Creamy Polenta or an equally tasty—and much simpler—alternative to the Mushroom Fricassee when looking for an accompaniment to the Butternut Squash Purée, ultimately it proved unnecessary here.
The nuttiness of the brown butter pairs with the flaky sea salt to impart a lovely umami note to the ricotta, while the tang of the balsamic helps cut through the creaminess of the baked cheese, cleansing the palate and prolonging your enjoyment of every bite.
For this post, we revisited the Sweet Potato Crostini inspired by our beloved Smitten Kitchen, adding a touch of sweetness and color to the dish. The use of the sweet potato planks also renders the dish gluten and grain free, which is the best of all worlds in our book. You can obviously use gluten free crackers or toasted baguette, but the visual and taste components of the roasted spuds will most definitely be missed. In the time it takes to roast the sweet potatoes to that nearly charred and perfectly caramelized state, you can have the glaze and the ricotta ready to go. If you are so inclined, you could even manage the mushroom confit, but as mentioned before, it really isn’t necessary.
Another great, time-saving feature of this appetizer is that you don’t have to build each individual crostini. Since the naked crostini are served on the platter alongside the baked ricotta, it lets your guests build their own little hors d’oeuvres and frees you up to enjoy a glass or three of wine while tending to the rest of the meal, which is a particular advantage if you’re in the midst of roasting the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. Happy dipping!
Adapted from Around the Fire: Recipes for Inspired Grilling and Seasonal Feasting
via Food52.
- 1½ pounds sweet potato, scrubbed, unpeeled, in ¾- to 1-inch coins
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- Flaky sea salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnishing
- To make the sweet potato coins, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking sheet generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Lay sweet potatoes in one layer on the oiled sheet. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece- the undersides should be dark and should release from the pan with no effort. Sprinkle with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops.
- To make the balsamic brown butter sauce, in a small pot, melt the butter over low heat and cook, stirring, until deep brown, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for 2 minutes. Add the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust accordingly. Keep warm.
- When you're ready to serve, preheat the broiler. To serve, place the ricotta in one large (2-quart) baking dish, slightly mounding the cheese in the center. Broil until browned across the top and heated all the way through, 14 to 20 minute. Sprinkle with the sea salt and drizzle each portion with a few spoonfuls of the brown butter sauce. Garnish with parsley and serve with the sweet potato coins and extra brown butter sauce on the side.
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