Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla

Hello and welcome to Djalali Cooks. Last week, my husband had to travel for work so I was cooking for one. Admittedly, I am a little rusty at cooking for one. Instead of reimagining the leftovers from a single dish, I came up with an idea to use one ingredient, two ways. The featured ingredient is a sweet potato. For this first recipe, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla, we will prep one, one-pound sweet potato. Using half of it for today’s recipe and the other half for tomorrow’s recipe. Let’s get to it!

Prepping the Sweet Potato

Peel the sweet potato and then grate it either in a food processor or on a box grater. Transfer the grated sweet potato to a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cover the bowl and microwave the grated sweet potato for about 2 minutes, until it’s just softened.

Then we have 6 ounces of Mexican chorizo, about 1/2 cup of pepper jack cheese, about 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, one small tomato, one sliced scallion and one extra large flour tortilla.

Once the grated sweet potato has been microwaved for 2 minutes, transfer half of it to a storage container, cover and store in the fridge for tomorrow’s recipe.

Get a 12-inch nonstick pan heating over medium heat with a good drizzle of vegetable or grapeseed oil. Add the chorizo (casings removed) to the pan and break it up as it cooks.

When the chorizo is browned, about 3 minutes, add the grated sweet potato to the pan. Stir to combine and cook until the sweet potato is fully softened and has soaked up most of the chorizo fat and juices, about 5 minutes. Cut the heat and transfer the chorizo sweet potato mixture to a large bowl.

Add the grated cheese, sliced scallion and chopped cilantro to the bowl and stir well to fully combine.

Assembling the Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla

Lay one flour tortilla on your work surface. Spoon half of the quesadilla filling onto one side of the tortilla, leaving about 1/2-inch for a border on the round edge side. Place three or four slices of tomato on top of the filling.

Cover the tomato slices with the remaining filling (or most of it, I had about 1/4 cup leftover). Then fold the naked side of the tortilla over the filling and lightly press the top.

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Add 1/4 cup of grapeseed or vegetable oil to the skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until it’s shimmering. Then, carefully lay the folded quesadilla in the skillet. Lightly press the quesadilla to ensure the tortilla surface has full contact with the pan. Lightly tilt the pan from side to side and top to bottom to swirl the oil around the quesadilla. Let the first side of the quesadilla cook for about 2 minutes, until it’s golden.

When it’s time to flip, use two nonstick-safe spatulas (one under the quesadilla and one on top) to gently flip the quesadilla over. Lightly press the quesadilla into the pan and swirl the oil again. Let the other side cook for about 2 minutes, until it’s golden brown.

When golden on the second side, cut the heat and transfer the quesadilla to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Transfer the Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla to a cutting board and slice into three wedges. Plate the wedges and top with hot sauce, if you like.

A really wonderful combination; the light sweetness of the sweet potato with the super savory flavor of Mexican chorizo, the tomato is juicy and there’s just enough cheese to add richness and mellow flavor.

You might think cooking the Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla in 1/4 cup of oil is a lot for one quesadilla, but don’t skimp on the oil. Lightly frying the flour tortilla puffs and crisps the tortilla so the result is a very light and crispy envelope for the filling that really elevates the usual quesadilla experience.

I do hope you give this recipe a try, especially if you’re cooking for one! It’s easy to scale this up though if you’re cooking for two or four. Starchy potatoes go very nicely with chorizo, in fact I have a recipe for Chorizo and Potato Crispy Tacos, if you want to explore the combination further. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s recipe, for which we will use the other half of our grated sweet potato. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla

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Dinner, Main Course – Mexican-inspired

By Kelly Djalali - inspired by Cook's Illustrated – Serves: 1

Prep Time: 20 Minutes – Cooking Time: 10-12 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Mildly sweet, sweet potato is the perfect match for Mexican chorizo, with cheese and cilantro, folded in a flour tortilla and lightly fried to a golden brown.

Ingredients

• 6-8 oz. Grated Sweet Potato
• Pinch of Kosher Salt
• 4-6 oz. Mexican Chorizo
• 1 Scallion, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup Grated Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1/4 cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Small Tomato, cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 1 Extra Large Flour Tortilla
• 1/4 cup Neutral Oil, like Vegetable or Grapeseed Oil, for frying

Instructions

1

Peel the sweet potato and then grate it either in a food processor or on a box grater. Transfer the grated sweet potato to a microwave-safe bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cover the bowl and microwave the grated sweet potato for about 2 minutes, until it's just softened.

2

Get a 12-inch nonstick pan heating over medium heat with a good drizzle of vegetable or grapeseed oil. Add the chorizo (casings removed) to the pan and break it up as it cooks.

3

When the chorizo is browned, about 3 minutes, add the grated sweet potato to the pan. Stir to combine and cook until the sweet potato is fully softened and has soaked up most of the chorizo fat and juices, about 5 minutes. Cut the heat and transfer the chorizo sweet potato mixture to a large bowl.

4

Add the grated cheese, sliced scallion and chopped cilantro to the bowl and stir well to fully combine.

5

Lay one flour tortilla on your work surface. Spoon half of the quesadilla filling onto one side of the tortilla, leaving about 1/2-inch for a border on the round edge side. Place three or four slices of tomato on top of the filling.

6

Cover the tomato slices with the remaining filling (you might have a little leftover filling). Then fold the naked side of the tortilla over the filling and lightly press the top.

7

Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Add 1/4 cup of grapeseed or vegetable oil to the skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's shimmering. Then, carefully lay the folded quesadilla in the skillet. Lightly press the quesadilla to ensure the tortilla surface has full contact with the pan. Lightly tilt the pan from side to side and top to bottom to swirl the oil around the quesadilla. Let the first side of the quesadilla cook for about 2 minutes, until it's golden.

8

When it's time to flip, use two nonstick-safe spatulas (one under the quesadilla and one on top) to gently flip the quesadilla over. Lightly press the quesadilla into the pan and swirl the oil again. Let the other side cook for about 2 minutes, until it's golden brown.

9

When golden on the second side, cut the heat and transfer the quesadilla to a wire rack to cool slightly.

10

Transfer the Chorizo and Sweet Potato Quesadilla to a cutting board and slice into three wedges. Plate the wedges and top with hot sauce, if you like.

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