I love a good portable snack.
The first time I had a burrito proper was in San Francisco. My friends dragged me and my jetlag to The Mission, to the wonderful Puerto Alegre, where I did not understand the menu and ordered a cheese burrito. Which, for those not in the know, is basically a burrito with an actual block of melting cheese inside, topped with more melting cheese on the outside.
It was great (though the one thing I never got over after that trip is the red mole chilaquiles I had a few mornings after), but I couldn’t really handle more than two bites (see also, the Chicago deep dish pizza debacle a few years prior to this). The doggy bag I took home that night could’ve easily lasted me the entire trip, were it not for my desire to Eat More Things.
This burrito is killer too, but it won’t require you to have a good long lay-down after. I found it in Lucky Peach’s Power Vegetables. It’s filling minus the lay-down, and perfect for road trips once you’ve figured out how to wrap it.
Veggie Sweet Potato Burrito
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Parchment
- Bowl
- Frying pan or skillet, optional
- Tinfoil, optional
Ingredients
For the sweet potato
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed (2x2 inches/ 5x5mm)
- 1 T - 15 ml neutral oil I use sunflower, just avoid olive oil for this
- 1/2 t - 2.5 gr cumin powder
- 1/2 t - 2.5 gr ground coriander
- 1/2 t - 2.5 gr chili powder
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
For the pico de gallo
- 3 large tomatoes de-seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small shallot finely chopped, rinsed in cold water post-chop
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 bunch coriander finely chopped, stems included
To construct the burrito
- 2 large tortilla skins of choice, I prefer corn tortillas
- 1 c - 250 gr cooked rice
- 2 T - 30 gr sour cream optional
- 1/2 c - 125 gr shredded cheese optional
- 1/2 c - 125 gr kidney beans rinsed, black beans also work
- 1/2 avocado thinly sliced or cubed, optional
- 5-10 pickled jalapeno slices more or less to taste
Instructions
To make the sweet potato
- Preheat your oven at 200° C/ 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Mix your cubed sweet potato with the oil and spices. Spread onto the parchment paper in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes, giving them a toss at the halfway mark.
Make your pico de gallo
- Mix together the chopped tomatoes, shallot, coriander and lime juice in a bowl. That's it. That's the recipe.
Assemble your burrito
- Preheat a dry frying pan over a high heat. Briefly heat the tortilla skins in the pan on both sides, until they get a little color on them. Be sure not to overheat them as they will dry out and break when bending.
- Place your tortilla skins on a flat surface. Be sure to have a large square of tinfoil at the ready next to your tortilla skins.
- Create a layer of rice in the center of each of your tortilla skins, then a layer of beans, sweet potato cubes, avocado, pico de gallo and finally, if using, jalapenos, cheese and sour cream.
- Fold in the two narrowest opposing sides and fold the widest side over the top of these opposing sides and the contents of your burrito.
- Give it a little tug and tuck to really tighten up your filling and roll up your burrito tightly before wrapping it into the tinfoil. Using the tinfoil to get the tightest wrap possible.
- If these words make no sense to you try this nifty little burrito wrapping video. Keep in mind with practice, it can be done!
Notes
