I find it a little difficult to write about this recipe, because sometimes a dish turns out so visually stunning that it renders me speechless. Such is the case with this dish. Just look at those colors! It looks like an Autumn sunset. Are you kidding me? The inspiration for these jewel-toned little beauties came partly from a recipe in the December issue of Food & Wine for an ombré root vegetable gratin (ALL of the Yes!, btw, and so happening ASAP) and Deb Perelman’s genius use of roasted sweet potato rounds as “crostini” over at Smitten Kitchen (link below). The rest is all Kyle, and I think he actually outdid himself. Aside from being gluten free and vegan, there are so many layers of flavor, texture and color packed into each little morsel that they should each be about the size of a canoe.
We love a crowd-pleaser, and this hors d’oeuvre lands squarely and spectacularly in that category. It’s fairly simple to prepare, and is equally satisfying served hot or at room temperature, which lends it the advantage of easily being made ahead. It really is a symphony for the palate and a feast for the eyes.
The sweet potatoes are roasted to caramelized perfection, lightly salted and deeply colored…
…While the parsnips are soft, rich and creamy (with not a trace of cream or butter, mind you)…
…And the garnet colored beets are crunchy and earthy with the tang and brightness of balsamic and lemon. Bonus: Any extra beet salad can be chilled and enjoyed later on its own. So good.
While beets are well worth the mess, we always suggest to people that they keep a box of un-powdered latex examination gloves in the kitchen. Not very glamorous, we know, but it’s either those or police tape, because generally, after handling beets, you and your kitchen can end up looking like a crime scene. The gloves and the food processor should head that off at the pass. Also, for future reference, the gloves are good for the safe handling of hot peppers.
As perfect as these crostini are, you can always add a little crumbly cheese—feta, goat cheese, queso fresco, or any of the bleus—for yet another element. You could even leave the planks of sweet potato whole and use this as an impressive side dish. Or a snack. Either way, you’re in for a treat. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Crostini concept inspired by Smitten Kitchen.
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled, and cut into ½-inch slices
- 1 pound parsnips, peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound beets (about 3 small), peeled
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat two large baking sheets generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons each. Lay the sweet potatoes and parsnips in one layer on each of the oiled sheets. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Flip each sweet potato slice and sprinkle with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give the parsnips a stir and return both pans to the oven. Roast for another ten minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes and parsnips roast, shred the beets with the grating disc of a food processor (or shred them on the coarse side of a box grater). Place shredded beets in a medium bowl and toss with lemon zest, juice, parsley and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the parsnips have roasted and cooled slightly, puree them in the food processor with the vegetable broth. With the motor running, stream in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, top each sweet potato slice with a spoonful each of the parsnip puree and shredded beets. Garnish with additional parsley.
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