Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Fresh Figs
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Ingredients
- 4small sweet potatoes (2¼ pounds total)
- 5tablespoons olive oil
- Scant 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (you can use a commercial rather than a premium aged grade)
- 1½tablespoons superfine sugar
- 12green onions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1½-inch segments
- 1red chili, thinly sliced
- 6ripe figs (8½ ounces total), quartered
- 5ounces soft goat’s milk cheese (optional)
- Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
432 calories; 25 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 46 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 692 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes, halve them lengthwise, and then cut each half into 3 long wedges. Mix with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and some black pepper.
- Step 2
Spread the wedges out, skin side down, on a baking sheet and cook for about 25 minutes, until they are soft but not mushy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Step 3
To make the balsamic reduction, place the balsamic vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer for 2 to 4 minutes, until it thickens. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat when the vinegar is still runnier than honey; it will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in a drop of water before serving if it does become too thick to drizzle
- Step 4
Arrange the sweet potatoes on a serving platter. Heat the remaining oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the green onions and chili. Fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often to make sure not to burn the chili. Spoon the oil, onions and chili over the sweet potatoes. Dot the figs among the wedges, and then drizzle over the balsamic reduction. Serve at room temperature. Crumble the cheese over the top, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
We ate this at room temperature, as suggested, and didn't particularly care for it. The figs were not at peak ripeness and that was probably part of the reason.
Today I heated the leftovers in the microwave and it was delicious. Heating also helped the figs soften and deepen in flavor. Heating changed this recipe from a "don't save" to "I'll make it again."
To save time, the recipe in Jerusalem recommends using a store bought balsamic glaze. Trader Joes has a good one, as does Bertolli.
Outstanding flavor and a beautiful presentation, to boot! I substituted organic un-sulfured dried figs (due to availability issues) and cut them into smaller piece. I also included soft goat cheese. We ate the dish warm. (The potatoes held up as leftovers the next day, also warmed.) A+!
This recipe caught my attention since I have a fig tree. It’s a lot of extra work for roasted sweet potatoes. Just roast the sweet potatoes, add green onions and pepper in the last five minutes and toss with a bit of balsamic at the end. One pan to wash not four. I followed the recipe as written but it needs lots more green onion and pepper since the sweet potato flavor is so dominant.
This was so delicious!! I tossed the figs in a little maple syrup before roasting them with the potatoes for the last 10 minutes. I didn’t have a hot red pepper, so used red pepper flakes. If you like goat cheese (which I do!), it is a must! Such a great use for the abundance of figs from our tree.
This was divine! Based on other reviews I decided to place the figs on the baking sheet with the potatoes as soon as they came out of the oven. That way the figs warmed and softened a bit just from the residual heat. I cooked the potatoes more than an hour ahead and let them sit at room temp while I did other things, It made for a very convenient last minute assembly. I doubled the amount of balsamic but left the sugar the same. I also added a bed of arugula as a base and more chillies. So GOOD!