Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas
with Blue Cheese, Cilantro and Fresh Lime Juice
Savory, sweet, bold and mildly hot. I’d forgotten just how flavorful and satisfying Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas are. After seeing a number of recipes this past week for celebrating Cinco de Mayo, I remembered this recipe for quesadillas. We used to serve them when 
I was the chef at a natural foods deli here in Bozeman. These unique and tasty quesadillas were popular throughout the year, though especially so around the 5th of May.
Sunday morning brunch
At the end of our Sunday morning walk, Paul and I stopped and bought sweet potatoes, a poblano chili, blue cheese and corn flour tortillas to make the quesadillas. Including the roasting of the sweet potatoes, it took just a little over 90 minutes before we were eating Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas with some crisp jicama on the side for Sunday brunch. More good news is that this recipe makes 12 quesadillas. Enough to have extras to store in the fridge for the week ahead.
Beyond cheese
Starring an abundance of roasted sweet potato along with a poblano and a Serrano chili and a red bell pepper, these quesadillas go way beyond a basic cheese quesadilla. The addition of savory blue cheese and a touch of Jack in the filling, means you can eat Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas as they are. Or, add another layer of flavor with a spoonful of salsa. For Cinco de Mayo, consider a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
Served with a green salad or Lime Miso Cabbage Slaw and you have a meal. Without the salad, you have breakfast or a quick snack.
Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas
A unique and flavorful combination of tastes sweet, savory and mildly hot. Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas have so much flavor, you can eat them as they are. Or, add another layer of flavor with a spoonful of salsa. For Cinco de Mayo, consider a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. Served with a green salad you have a meal. Without the salad, you have breakfast or a quick snack.
Inspired by and adapted from a recipe in The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.
Makes 12 quesadillas Printer-Friendly Recipe
Active Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
INgredients
1 large red bell pepper
1 large poblano chili pepper
Olive oil spray
1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (yams), washed and pricked with a fork
1 tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil
1 ½ cups ¼-inch diced onion
2 large cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 medium (or more to taste) Serrano chili, minced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 dozen corn flour, flour or corn tortillas
¾ cup finely grated Monterey Jack or sharp white cheddar
Preparation
Turn the broiler on high. Adjust the shelf about 6 inches from the broiler element.- Cut the peppers in half and remove the stem and seeds. Cut a few 1-inch slits in the bottom and top edges of each half to help the peppers lie flat. Lightly oil a small rimmed baking sheet. Flatten the peppers on the pan. Broil the peppers for 10-12 minutes or until their skin is blackened. Remove the pan from the oven. Tightly cover the pan
with aluminum foil so the peppers can steam, making it easier to remove the skin. Set the peppers aside to cool. - Switch the broiler off and set the oven to 425 degrees. Roast the sweet potatoes/yams about 1 hour until very soft.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, peel and ¼-inch dice the peppers. Prepare the remaining ingredients.
- When the potatoes are very soft to the touch, remove them from the oven. Peel the potatoes and roughly cut them into about 1/3-inch pieces to equal 4 cups.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the diced onion. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the onions 5-7 minutes until translucent.
- Remove the lid and stir in the garlic and minced Serrano. Cook a few minutes until the onion takes on a bit of color.
- Fold in the diced peppers and potatoes, cilantro, blue cheese and fresh lime juice. Adjust the salt to taste.
- Lay out 4 tortillas. Place 1/3 cup of filling on the bottom half of each tortilla. Use a fork to spread the mixture about ½ inch from the outside edge of each tortilla. Top with a tablespoon of grated cheese. Fold the top of the tortilla over the filling. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat. If not non-stick, lightly spray the pan with
olive oil spray. Cook as many quesadillas as will easily fit in the pan until golden on the bottom, 3-5 minutes. Turn the quesadillas over and brown the other side, another 2-4 minutes. - When cooked, transfer the Roasted Sweet Potato Poblano Quesadillas to a cutting board. Cut each into halves or thirds and serve hot.
- Store uncooked quesadillas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.