During the holidays we always have a wide spread of appetizers and snacks to enjoy throughout the day. This always includes a variety of dips, crackers and cheese, veggie and fruit trays etc. I was inspired to create a new recipe to add to the family holiday snack and appetizer spread.
Let’s be real, the food at holidays/family gatherings is always one of the best parts, besides the people! This quick and easy crostini is an excellent go-to option for your next event. Full of flavor and with a hint of heat and sweet, this crostini will have everyone going back for more. What you will need for this recipe:
- loaf of Italian bread
- sweet potatoes
- chili powder
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- cayenne powder
- onion
- avocado oil
- gouda cheese
- honey and green onion for garnish
This recipe is the perfect combination of flavors and it is so satisfying. This recipe would be great for any appetizer, brunch menu item or snack. If you are looking to incorporating colorful produce in your holiday menu, try this recipe for an exciting blast of flavor. Not only are the flavors spot on, the texture combination of smooth and crunchy is fantastic.
The easy preparation makes for an appetizer that does not need the cooks in the kitchen all day, but instead allows everyone to enjoy time together!
To make this recipe, you only need about 15 minutes to prepare everything, less time if you have help! Now, start by slicing the bread, I recommend about 1/2 inch thick. You don’t want the bread to be too thin. After you have everything cut up, seasoned and on baking sheets, place both the bread and sweet potatoes in the oven. The great thing is that both ingredients bake at the same temperature for the same amount of time!
After everything is baked, coarsely mash the sweet potatoes. If you like the potatoes more creamy you can use a food processor, but I prefer a coarse mash. Next, spread the sweet potato mixture on top of the bread. This is more of a scoop than a spread since the potatoes are so thick. I topped mine with a thin slice of regular gouda cheese and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes. I recommend regular gouda, not smoked gouda. Smoked gouda does not melt like regular gouda. Once the cheese has melted, one last step is to drizzle with a little bit of honey, I love the way this really balances out the heat of the spice in the sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Crostini
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet potatoes diced
- 2 tbsp Avocado oil
- 2 tsp Cinnamon ground
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 loaf Italian bread fresh baked
- 8 oz Gouda cheese not smoked gouda
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1 Onion small, diced
- 1 tbsp Honey
- green onion optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°.
- Slice bread into ½ inch thick slices.
- Dice sweet potatoes and onion into small cubes and place on a large sheet pan. Add avocado oil, cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, chili powder. Stir to combine.
- Drizzle both sides of bread slices with avocado oil. Place bread on baking sheet.
- Place bread and sweet potatoes in the oven. Roast for 10 minutes. Stir the potatoes and flip the bread. Roast 10 more minutes.
- Remove the bread and sweet potatoes from the oven. Coarsely mash the sweet potato mixture.
- Spread the sweet potato mixture on each slice of bread making sure to evenly distribute the mixture between all slices of bread.
- Top sweet potato mixture with a thin slice of gouda cheese. Using regular gouda, not smoked gouda.
- Place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted
- Remove from oven and drizzle with honey. Garnish with green onion if desired and serve warm.
Notes
