Smashed Sweet Potato Toast with Maple Caramelized Onions

I have been finding that recipes where I am just “throwing something together” have a huge appeal to my readers.  This autumnal breakfast toast is  my seasonal take on my hugely popular Avocado Toast. A hearty slice of whole wheat sourdough bread is lightly brushed with olive oil and toasted in a toaster oven.  It is then slattered with mashed sweet potato, seasoned with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of ground cumin.   This is topped with maple caramelized red onion and a handful of raw shredded brussel sprouts tossed in a bit of blood orange olive oil and sea salt.  The whole thing is finished with a sprinkle of juicy red pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of flavored balsamic.  OMG! An exciting explosion of flavor.  Move over jam jar.  This is the toast you want!  It would make a great party appetizer cut in smaller pieces too!

Sweet potato:  cook a whole large sweet potato in its skin either by baking at 350 F for 30 minutes or microwaving about 7 minutes, until soft.  Let cool, peel and fork-mash with a squeeze of lime, a pinch of cumin and some sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Caramelized  onions:  thinly slice a red onion.  Sauté in 2 T olive oil with a bit of salt, on a low to medium heat, until the onions are soft, about 15-20 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.  Add 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and cook another 5 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.  You will have some left over onion for other uses.

Toppings:  shredded raw Brussels sprouts tossed in a bit of olive oil (I used blood orange flavored) and seasoned with sea salt;  pomegranate seeds; flavored balsamic vinegar(I used pear-cranberry).  Other toppings could be dried cranberries, chopped pecans, grated pecorino or  toasted pepitas.

Assembly:  spread each toast with sweet potato, then onions and top with the brussel sprouts and pomegranate seeds.  Finish with a drizzle of balsamic and some salt and pepper.

Haverford College, PA