Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Pancetta & Sage Vinaigrette Recipe

Sweet potatoes were not my thing as I was growing up. In fact, they were not my thing until, about 12 years ago, I tasted the sweet potato fries at Docks Oyster Bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Docks, at that time, was located on Broadway and 91st Street - about 3 blocks away from our apartment. While I could probably have ordered the fries to be delivered to my apartment, Docks would beckon us into its warm, dark-wood interior. Actually, I could have ordered sweet potato fries from Docks, a cheeseburger from McDonald's, and a bottle of wine from Gotham Wines, and have all of it delivered within a half-hour. If you are looking to live the life of a hermit with a serious case of heartburn, New York City is the place for you.

Docks' sweet potato fries were crispy, slightly spicy, and lick-the-platter good. I remember one particular evening when my then-boyfriend (now husband) was out of town. I wandered up to Docks after a long work day and sat at the bar. I ordered a glass of wine, a plate of raw oysters (with plenty of horseradish), and a platter of sweet potato fries. What a meal! Unfortunately, I didn't have the good sense to stop at one glass of wine. I was in my twenties - what do you want from me? After having a little too much to drink, I tend to convince myself that I'm rather talented in many areas of life. That's the kind of mindset that led to the birth of karaoke. I was jotting down some thoughts in my spiral-bound notebook when it seemed like a good idea to start sketching. One thing you should know about me is that I can't draw my way out of a box. When I was a kid, my parents would bring paper and a pen to keep me entertained when we went out to eat. By the end of the evening, I would present them with several drawings of phone booths (seriously) and houses. Squares and rectangles - my parents would just sigh and pat me on the head. That evening at Docks, however, I had drawn a "masterful" rose and felt that it was so good that I called the bartender over to admire my work. He cut me off after that. Ah well, I'll always have karaoke.

This recipe is adapted from one in Bobby Flay's Grilling for Life. Bobby made this vinaigrette with rosemary. However, my sage plant is threatening to strangle the rest of herbs. For the sake of herbal harmony, I decided to use sage in this recipe.

Place 3 large, unpeeled sweet potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Boil the potatoes until they are just cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Remove the potatoes from the pot and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add 4 ounces of diced pancetta to the pan and cook until it is browned and crisp. Be careful of spattering grease! Turn down the heat a little if it is spattering too much.

Okay, you caught me. I didn't have time to run out for pancetta, so I used bacon. Bacon and pancetta are both made from pork bellies. However, bacon is cured and smoked, but pancetta is simply cured. If you don't have pancetta, you can remove the smoked flavor from the bacon by cooking it in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. It definitely isn't the same, but it will do in a pinch.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked pancetta from the skillet and let it drain on a piece of paper towel.

To the pancetta drippings in the pan, add 1 diced medium shallot. Cook until browned, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup red wine vinegar and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and stir in ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover to keep warm.

No photos of this whole process. The whole thing went too fast. I had to choose between taking photos or scorching myself on hot grease. I love my readers, but I love my unblemished skin more.

Preheat a grill to high heat.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them into ¼-inch rounds.

Brush the rounds with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.

Place the sweet potato round on the grill and cook for approximately 5 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned and just cooked through.

Transfer the grilled potatoes to a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette.

Sprinkle the cooked pancetta over the potatoes and serve them hot or at room temperature.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Pancetta & Sage Vinaigrette

3 large, unpeeled sweet potatoes

¼ cup, plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, finely diced

1 medium shallot, diced

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

1 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Boil the potatoes until they are just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the pot and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the diced pancetta to the pan and cook until it is browned and crisp. Be careful of spattering grease! Turn down the heat a little if it is spattering too much. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked pancetta from the skillet and let it drain on a piece of paper towel.

To the pancetta drippings in the pan, add the diced shallot. Cook until browned, about 1 minute. Add the red wine vinegar and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and stir in ¼ cup olive oil, finely chopped fresh sage leaves, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Preheat a grill to high heat. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them into ¼-inch rounds. Brush the rounds with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with kosher salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Place the sweet potato round on the grill and cook for approximately 5 minutes, turning once, until they are lightly browned and just cooked through.

Transfer the grilled potatoes to a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle the cooked pancetta over the potatoes and serve them hot or at room temperature.

Serves 6.

Printable recipe

Comments

Ellie

August 17, 2009 at 5:52 am

I love sweet potatoes (we call them Kumara in Australia). They are sweet and tasty. I love this recipe and will definitely give it a try soon.

The George 5

August 17, 2009 at 3:19 am

I took these to a birthday party bbq tonight and they were a hit!! Thanks for the great recipe! I used bacon as well and it was fabulous - who doesnt like bacon!

Natalie

August 17, 2009 at 12:20 am

Great photos! I LOVE sweet potatoes and grill them often. Yours look fantastic and so delicious.

Ann

August 16, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Yum yum! Anything with pancetta catches my eye. It's a staple in my fridge.

Jada

August 16, 2009 at 4:08 pm

These look soooo good. Whenever i make sweet potato fries in the oven, they're always flimsy, so I think I'll have to try a different "format" for my taters. This one looks great. Thanks for posting!

Angie's Recipes

August 16, 2009 at 9:11 am

I love sweet potatoes! They are wonderful even with congeee!
My mum loves to microwave them...hmm....they are really delicious.
Your grilled ones make mouth water!
Angie's Recipes

The Apple Hill Adventurer

August 16, 2009 at 2:12 am

for some reason, i cannot stand potatoes, but LOVE sweet potatoes. these look so yum!

your blog name is making me miss vancouver!

Chow and Chatter

August 16, 2009 at 1:27 am

this is great must have been neat to live in manhattan

Butterfly

August 16, 2009 at 1:21 am

I love sweet potatoes and love that you grilled them...I have never tried grilled sweet potatoes. I will have to try this, thanks!!

Marillyn 'Mare' Beard

August 16, 2009 at 1:17 am

LOVE sweet potatoes! I gotta try that!

doggybloggy

August 16, 2009 at 12:19 am

I love sweet potatoes and your vinaigrette sounds so good!

HannahBanana aka Amanda

August 16, 2009 at 12:17 am

Geez....these sound great. My husband is not in love with sweet potatoes but I know for sure he would eat these. It must be a delicious sounding recipe when even I think I could devour the whole pan....and I don't eat pancetta! Beautiful sage leaves by the way!

Frieda

August 15, 2009 at 9:50 pm

Your are really putting your sage to use! Congrats on FB top 9~

Jenn

August 15, 2009 at 9:43 pm

I love sweet potatoes!!! I can't get enough of them. Though, I've never had them with a vinaigrette before. I've got try that some time.

pigpigscorner

August 15, 2009 at 7:37 pm

I love grilled/ roasted sweet potatoes! The vinaigrette sounds wonderful!

Cooking Mama

August 15, 2009 at 6:52 pm

Looks delish! I've only recently started enjoying sweet potato fries myself. They have the best at The Pit in downtown Raleigh (one of my favorite restaurants to dine in these days). Thanks for sharing the recipe! 🙂

My Little Space

August 15, 2009 at 3:10 pm

Sounds really interesting! I've never cook sweet potatoes with vinaigrette before.

Jennifer

August 15, 2009 at 2:05 pm

I LOVE anything with sweet potatoes and pancetta....and then you throw in sage!! PERFECT to me! I will be making these!! Thanks so much, it looks incredible 🙂

Citronetvanille

August 15, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Love sweet potatoes but just the way you made them, those look perfect, grilled on the outside and tender in the middle. Beautiful pic!

Kalyn

August 15, 2009 at 1:47 pm

Love the sound of this! I was a late-adopter for sweet potatoes too. I think in my case it was due to all those marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes from Thanksgiving. When I tried savory or spicy sweet potatoes I realized I liked them, I just didn't like them with sweet toppings.

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