Sweet Potato and Cilantro Quesadilla with Fried Egg + Cumin Oil

Every Tuesday, Caroline Wright will be creating simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: A smoky quesadilla that's hearty, without being heavy.

I am living in Dallas these days, where Tex-Mex is lauded as practically its own tier on the food pyramid. With this regional food culture comes easy access to delicious ingredients at the supermarket like soft hand-formed corn tortillas and, too, a taste for smoky, hearty, skillet-cooked fare.

These quesadillas are only so named out of habit, as they are cheese-free (gluten- free, as it happens, as well); though with the warm potato filling and a sopping of runny egg yolk, I hardly noticed. The quesadillas are cooked in a dry, heavy skillet, which toasts and chars the corn tortillas rather than frying them. My husband, a tall man with an even taller appetite, admitted he liked this quesadilla as well as the kind he orders at our corner restaurant.

Sweet Potato and Cilantro Quesadilla with Fried Egg + Cumin Oil

Serves 4

2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Lime wedges, for serving
8 small (about 6-inch) corn tortillas

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute ™ Meals grew into a cookbook that’s being published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photos by Caroline Wright