Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Chickpeas, Kale, and Tahini Yogurt
Serves 4
A baked sweet potato is quite satisfying on its own, and becomes a hearty vegetarian dinner when you stuff it with yogurt sauce, curly kale, and chickpeas. Sweet potatoes seem to take an eternity in the oven, so plan accordingly if you’re prepping dinner, or bake them in advance to warm and fill later. There's nothing complicated about sauteing kale or seasoning canned beans; the only tricky part is when to add the tahini to the yogurt sauce. Because of a surprising bit of food chemistry, tahini actually seizes up when a small amount of liquid is added to it, quickly turning into a hard paste. To avoid this, make sure to add the tahini to the yogurt before adding the lemon juice. Yogurt has sufficient moisture content, so once it incorporates the tahini, it's safe to stir in lemon. The yogurt sauce will thicken somewhat, but only enough to make a neat dollop on the hot potatoes.
4 sweet potatoes
1 cup plain Greek yogurt 3 tablespoons tahini
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
½ bunch curly kale, stemmed, leaves torn into small pieces
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
1. Set the oven at 375. Have on hand a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Place the sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Prick each one several times with a fork. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, or until they are very tender when pierced with a skewer. Keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the yogurt and tahini. Whisk well. Add the lemon rind and juice, parsley, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Stir well.
4. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When it is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the kale, and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the kale is tender but still bright green. Sprinkle with salt.
5. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the paprika and cumin. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the chickpeas are hot.
6. Set a sweet potato on each of 4 plates. Slice the potatoes down the middle, and gently push in the ends, opening the center. Spoon a hearty dollop of yogurt sauce in each potato. Top with kale and chickpeas. It’s OK if the filling spills onto the plates. Serve with any remaining yogurt sauce.