This recipe was created to satisfy a random sweet potato craving that I had a few weeks ago (I blame Heather). I wanted something more interesting than a simple baked potato or fries, but I also didn’t want something that would remind me of Thanksgiving dinner. After playing around with a few ideas, I decided to experiment with a pizza-like flatbread. It was a great decision! The thin slices of sweet potato has an amazing texture — crispy like chips around the edges but with a soft, chewy center that reminded me of fruit leather. The combination of those potatoes with sweet caramelized onion, salty pancetta, and creamy goat cheese was one of the most amazing flavor and texture combinations that I’ve ever experienced. It definitely hit the spot and satisfied my craving. The only problem is that now I crave the flatbread!
I used the OXO Mandolin that I won at Eat, Write, Retreat to shave my sweet potato and onion into super thin (1/8-inch) rounds. If you don’t have a mandolin, you can also use the slicing blade of a box grater or a sharp knife to cut the slices as thinly as you can. Whichever way you decide to do it, just make sure to watch your fingers!
Prepared pizza dough makes this recipe super quick to pull together My favorite is Portland Pie Beer Pizza Dough, which has a slightly malty flavor and a great, chewy texture. Of course, you can use your favorite prepared dough or make your own.
Sweet Potato Flatbread with Goat Cheese & Pancetta
Prep time: 10 minutes, Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 pieces
- 1 prepared Pizza Dough, at room-temperature
- 2 ounces diced Pancetta
- 1 Tbs Butter
- 1 Vidalia Onion, sliced thinly
- 1 Sweet Potato/Yam*, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
- 2 ounces Goat Cheese, crumbled
- 1 Tbs chopped Parsley
Preheat oven to 350.
Add the pancetta to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the outside edges are just crisp — 7-10 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan, leaving behind the rendered drippings. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden brown — about 10 minutes.
Stretch the pizza dough to cover a 9X11 inch cookie sheet. Spread the caramelized onions and any remaining oil from the pan in an even layer across the dough. Top the onion layer with a layer of sweet potato. Sprinkle the pancetta and goat cheese over the flatbread.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough is cooked though and the edges of the potatoes are crispy. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Cut into 12 pieces and serve warm.
*Sweet Potatoes and Yams can be tricky. You want the orange ones, which (in the US) should be labeled as both. For more information (it’s actually pretty interesting) you can read more at this link.
Yum! This flatbread sounds great!
This looks stunning. My wife makes stunning breadsticks with chili and garlic.