harissa sweet potatoes with goat cheese & candied pecans
Do you ever go overboard?
Not like literally go overboard like Goldie Hawn did in the epic 1987 hit movie, Overboard. Please tell me you have seen this classic, cheesy 80’s flick? It’s one of my favorite Goldie Hawn movies!
Goldie plays this bored, super rich snob who hires a carpenter, Kurt Russell, to build a closet on her private yacht. Well, she ends up treating him like garbage, she falls off the boat in the middle of the night, and washes up on shore with amnesia. Kurt Russell claims her so that she will have to take care of his kids, who are nightmares. This is his plan to get back at her. The movie is full of awesome 80’s synthesizer music and an obvious moral plot.
Anyways, where was I? Oh, yes, overboard. I tend to go overboard on certain foods. Like recently, I can’t get enough of tater tots, naan pizza, and harrisa. If I could put all of these things together and not freak y’all out I totally would!
So, while I am on the tater tot, naan pizza, and harissa bandwagon, I might as well share this super fun side that is perfect for Thanksgiving. I love sweet potatoes and there are a lot of recipes out there for sweet potato pie, which is totally cool and tasty. But what about spicing up your taters with a little harissa? Come on, you know you want to get down on chile spiced sweet potatoes.
If anything, it will create conversation at the dinner table and distract family members from asking awkward questions. If that doesn’t work, you have my permission to go overboard.
Harissa Sweet Potatoes with Goat Cheese & Candied Pecans
Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons harissa
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz goat cheese, room temperature, crumbled
for the candied pecans:
2 tablespoons pecans
1 tablespoon sugar in the raw
1 teaspoon hot water
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Take a fork and poke holes all around the sweet potatoes. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, peel the sweet potatoes and place in a food processor. Add the butter, sour cream, harissa, and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Put the sweet potatoes in a large serving bowl and garnish with goat cheese and candied pecans.
for the candied pecans:
Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Toss the pecans, sugar, and water. Place pecans on baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool and then chop the pecans.
recipe from Food and Wine Magazine
All images and text ©
Yes, I do the same things with foods. If I really love it, I will want to use it in every dish I make! LOL!
The sweet potatoes sound so good!! I love the spice from the harissa pared with the goat cheese!
This is why we are friends! Thanks, Tieghan!
What a great side! I can’t wait to try this! It looks amazing!
Thanks, Carrian!
Harissa is one of my secret weapons in the kitchen – I love it’s spicy depth of flavor, especially when combined with sweet ingredients!!! Oh and goat cheese. Everything is always better with goat cheese.
Yay! Isn’t harissa the best?! And yes, goat cheese makes the world a better place!
I need two things in my life now: These sweet potatoes and the movie “Overboard.” That 80’s synth music is calling my name! 😉
HA. LOL!!! Thanks, Stephanie!
Ok, I am ALL over this!
HECK YEAH!! Thanks, Ashley!
STOP IT!!!! 80’s synthesizer music and goat cheese?! All in one post? Be still my heart.
Mwah! You know it. Thanks, friend!
Oh my gosh… I want this by the bucket-full! I like the bandwagon you’re on… it’s delicious!
Me too! Thanks, Laurie! xoxo
These look awesome!! I love a solid side of potatoes!!
Thanks, Katrina!
By all means – go overboard – because I’m loving this so hard!!
HA! Thanks, friend!
Love the idea of spiced up sweet potatoes-especially if there’s goat cheese involved! This looks awesome!!
Great minds thinkin’ alike today! Yea, sweet potatoes. Way to knock it out of the park with harissa and goat cheese!
Well, now I suddenly have an urge to go watch all the Goldie Hawn movies! PRIVATE BENJAMIN. I’m just saying. Also Wildcats. 🙂 Anyway, these sweet potatoes sound so good! I love the idea of mixing up the usual sweetness with a spicy kick. Hooray!
I love Overboard! Anytime it pops up on cable I have to watch it!
We are harissa twins!! I have that exact same jar. But I haven’t opened mine yet.
I also have 12 pounds of sweet potatoes on my floor. Totally fate.
I love the combo of sweet potato and spice; the harissa sounds like a totally great twist.
I seriously adore this side dish. The harissa cheese just gives it that extra oomph and change-up on this traditional dish! I love when things like this stray from the traditional, it makes it that much more fun to eat!
If this dish is the result of going overboard, don’t let me stop you! Love it!
The recipe can easily become my favorite side dish of all time. Sweet potato and harissa, sweet and spicy – Yes! We love mina harissa, it’s our favorite new sauce. Thanks for the recipe!
Loving this harissa sweet potato side recipe. Using harissa lots recently and this dish is so awesome! Bought the same jar of harissa but the spicy version.
This harissa and sweet potato recipe is awesome. Thank you for the idea! Have been using harissa as a finishing sauce but would like to cook with it more. Harissa sweet potatoes rock!