Sweet Potatoes and Sautéed Dates with Whipped Ricotta

Ingredients

1. 1 medium-large sweet potato

2. 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying sage

3. 1 & 1/4 teaspoons salt

4. 1/2 teaspoon pepper

5. 1/2 teaspoon cumin

6. 1/2 teaspoon paprika

7. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

8. 1 small bunch fresh sage

9. 3 tablespoons salted butter

10. 5 medjool dates, halved & pitted

11. 1 cup whole milk ricotta

12. 2 tablespoons heavy cream

13. 1 tablespoon pine nuts [or nuts of your choice - walnuts work well here too]

14. Drizzle of hot honey [optional]

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 2

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375 [F] degrees. While oven preheats, slice sweet potato into wedges.

2. In a bowl, coat sweet potato wedges in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, & 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.

3. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, bake sweet potato wedges for 25 minutes or until crispy & cooked through.

4. While sweet potato wedges bake, fry the sage leaves. In a sauté pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan over medium heat. When oil starts to bubble, place sage leaves into the oil & fry on each side for about 30 seconds. Transfer fried sage leaves to a paper towel-lined plate & season with salt & let cool. Make sure to reserve the sage oil for garnishing your plate.

5. Next, sauté the dates. In the same sauté pan that has now been cleaned out, melt 3 tablespoons salted butter over medium heat. Add halved & pitted dates to the pan & sauté until soft & slightly charred, about 7-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

6. Now, make your whipped ricotta. In a food processor, add 1 cup whole milk ricotta, 2 tablespoons heavy cream, remaining tablespoon of olive oil & remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Purée until ricotta is nice & smooth.

7. Once sweet potato wedges are done roasting, plate your dish. Generously spread a few dollops of whipped ricotta on a plate. Next, pile the sweet potato wedges on top of the ricotta. Layer the sautéed dates on top of the sweet potato wedges, followed by pine nuts & a drizzle of the remaining sage oil & hot honey. Garnish with fried sage leaves & enjoy!