BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Sweet Potato Gyoza

  • Prep Time 0:20
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $7.50
  • 24 Comments

If you have never made dumplings before, this is a good recipe to start with. The sweet potato mixture is incredibly easy to work with, the ingredients are straightforward (but complex-tasting, once they all come together), and the rolling, while tricky at first, is easy to master.

If you happen to have coconut oil for frying, use that—it adds a lovely, slightly sweet note.

Ingredients

  • 1 large sweet potato (garnet yam), peeled and cut int 1" chunks $1
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, plus more for dipping Pantry
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil $2.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 medium shallot, minced $0.50
  • 1 clove garlic, minced Pantry
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro or chives $1 for a bunch
  • 1 small (1/2") piece ginger, peeled and grated $0.50
  • 30 small, round won ton skins $2 for a 12 oz. package
  • vegetable or coconut oil, for frying Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Cook sweet potato chunks in a covered pot of boiling water until very tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse until cool to the touch. Transfer sweet potato to a mixing bowl.
  2. Use the back of a fork to mash the sweet potato until mostly smooth. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, shallot, garlic, cilantro or chives, and ginger, and stir well.
  3. To assemble the gyoza, brush the edges of a won ton skin lightly with water (use a clean finger or a small pastry brush). Place about a teaspoon of the sweet potato mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and make 5-6 small pleats as you seal the wrapper together, pinching gently to ensure total closure. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers, until all the gyoza are made.
  4. To cook the gyoza, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan (make sure it has a fitted lid and set it near the stove), over medium heat. Working in batches, arrange the gyoza close to one another (but not touching) in the pan) and let cook for 2-3 minutes, until a golden crust begins to develop on the bottom. Flip the gyoza, and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes, until a crust develops.
  5. Carefully pour about 3 tbsp water over the gyoza, then cover the pan quickly and let steam for about 3 minutes.
  6. Remove the lid and let the gyoza aerate until the excess water is cooked away and the bottoms become crisp again.
  7. Transfer the cooked gyoza to a serving platter, repeat with the remaining uncooked gyoza, then serve immediately, with soy sauce for dipping.

Category: Meals

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Sweet Potato Corn Cakes with Chipotle Aioli

  • Prep Time 0:20
  • Cook Time 0:12
  • Estimated Cost $11.50
  • 18 Comments

Wanting to use up the sweet potato flesh I had left over after making this yesterday, I puttered around until I came up with this…

These are like slightly denser, crisper hush puppies. Supple sweet potatoes and crunchy cornmeal fry up into a satisfying texture, resulting in a unique, tasty side dish or appetizer. The smoky bold aioli offers the perfect complement. If you’re serving these at cocktail hour, make sure you have plenty of frosty pilsner.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potatoes/garnet yams (flesh from about 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes) $1.50 
  • 1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese $3.50 for 12 oz.
  • 1 egg $1.50 for 6
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (plus more for frying) Pantry
  • 2 cups medium-grind cornmeal $2.50 for 14 oz.
  • 2 tsp baking powder Pantry
  • 1 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper Pantry
  • 4 green onions (or a handful of fresh chives), chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise Pantry
  • 2 chipotle peppers (buy the kind canned in adobo), finely minced $1.50 for a 4-oz can
  • 1 small clove garlic, finely minced Pantry

Recipe Serves 4-6

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
  2. Use the back of a fork to very finely mash the sweet potatoes. Stir in the ricotta or cottage cheese, egg, oil, cornmeal, salt, pepper and green onions or chives. Stir well until a thick batter forms.
  3. Heat about 1" oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan with tall sides, over medium heat. Working in batches, cook 2-tbsp dollops of the batter until crisp and golden-brown on the outside and no longer runny on the inside (moist is OK), about 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain the cooked cakes on paper towels, then transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Continue until all the cakes are cooked.
  4. Whisk together the mayonnaise, chopped chipotles and the garlic. Stir well and transfer to a serving bowl.
  5. Serve the cakes immediately, passing the aioli for dipping.

Category: Meals

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Sweet Potato Skins with Andouille Sausage

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 1:05
  • Estimated Cost $12
  • 40 Comments

These are a wonderful answer to the pub classic, bacon-y, cheesy potato skins. This version features caramelized edges and spicy, complex flavors where regular potato skins are usually greasy and starchy. They’re just as good with beer or cocktails, though you could also get away with serving them for dinner if you include a nice salad and maybe a glass of wine.

Ingredients

  • 6 smallish garnet yams (sweet potatoes) $4
  • extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 4 oz. jack or cheddar cheese, grated $3.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 medium onion, chopped $0.50
  • 2 Andouille sausages, diced (I used a chicken Andouiile, but pork be fine) $3 for 4 sausages
  • fresh black pepper *Pantry*
  • snipped green onions or chives, for garnish $1 for a bunch

Recipe Serves 6

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Rub the sweet potatoes all over with olive oil, then arrange on a baking sheet and bake until tender, 40-45 minutes (you can also roast them in the microwave by microwaving the oil-rubbed sweet potatoes on high for 5-6 minutes, turning half-way through cooking). Remove the cooked sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool slightly. Turn the oven up to 425.
  3. Carefully slice each sweet potato in half, lengthwise (you may need to hold it in a clean dish towel if it's very hot). Use a spoon to gently scoop out most the flesh, leaving about 1/4 along the skin. Save the cooked sweet potato flesh "for another use":http://brokeassgourmet.com/articles/mashed-sweet-potatoes-with-goat-cheese-rosemary-and-olive-oil.
  4. Drizzle the sweet potato skins with more olive oil and use your hands to rub it all over the insides and outsides of the skins. Arrange them on the baking sheet and bake for 6-7 minutes on each side, until the edges begin to crisp.
  5. While the skins crisp, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium frying pan. Cook the onion for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to soften. Add the chopped sausage and cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the onion is brown and the sausage is heated through.
  6. Remove the skins from the oven and turn them all skin-side-down. Top each skin with the shredded cheese, a generous spoonful of the onion-sausage mixture and a pinch of pepper.
  7. Turn the broiler on to high, and broil the skins for about 2 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and the skins are nicely browned.
  8. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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Sweet Potato Home Fries, Wally-Style

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $5.50
  • 16 Comments

When I was growing up, I thought our across-the-street neighbors, Wally and Leslie, were the most exciting, exotic people ever. They introduced me to the joys of tiny sausages tucked into crescent hot crescent rolls, the pleasure of sipping a frosty full-sugar soda while sitting in a hot tub and elaborate weekend morning breakfasts.

We had great breakfasts at my house too (matzo brei and waffles with ice cream were—and still are—my dad’s specialties), but classic American breakfasts were a totally foreign concept to me, until one morning when I was maybe 7 or 8 years old, and I found myself sitting at Wally and Leslie’s kitchen table, watching Wally make fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and a big frying pan full of diced potatoes, onions and sweet red peppers. He loaded up a plate for me, poured me a glass of fresh orange juice, and watched as I smiled with amazement.

I realized, then and there, why they call it the most important meal of the day.

Note: This version is made with sweet potatoes, which I like better than starchy potatoes, but feel free to go with Russets or Yukon Golds if you prefer.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 2 large (or 3 medium) red garnet yams, scrubbed and cut into 1" pieces (leave the skin on) $2.50
  • 1 red onion, finely diced $0.50
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely diced $1.50
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 3-4

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the yams and cook, stirring occasionally until just tender, about 12 minutes.
  2. Stir in the onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown.
  3. Remove from heat, toss with the chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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Caprese Turkey Burgers

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:08
  • Estimated Cost $13.50
  • 19 Comments

The classic, ever-popular Italian Caprese, a simple, yet exquisite combination of fresh tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar gives a fresh look boring (but admittedly healthy) turkey burgers. Serve these over mixed greens, on burger buns or bistro-style, on grilled ciabatta rolls, perhaps with a smear of pesto aioli.

Ingredients

  •  1 lb lean ground turkey $4
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten $1.50 for 6
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
  • 3/4 tsp each salt and freshly cracked black pepper Pantry
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan Pantry
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • 1 small handful fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced $1 for a bunch
  • about 15 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved $3.50 for 12 oz.
  • 3 oz. mozzarella cheese (or use mozzarella di bufala), cut into 1/2" cubes $3.50 for 8 oz.

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, egg, garlic, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until thoroughly combined.
  2. Stir in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, tomatoes and cheese. Mix gently until ingredients are well-distributed.
  3. Use your hands to form the mixture into 4 even patties, and set them on a clean plate.
  4. Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers for about 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly charred on the outside and cooked all the way through.
  5. Serve immediately, on buns, over mixed greens or plain. Top burgers with more mozzarella, tomato and/or basil, if desired.

Category: Meals

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