Sweet Potato and Cilantro Quesadilla with Fried Egg and Cumin Oil
Author Notes: 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. —CarolineWright
Serves 4
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 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
- 8 small (about 6-inch) corn tortillas
- Lime wedges, for serving
- In a medium saucepan fitted with a steamer basket, place sweet potatoes. Cover and steam sweet potatoes until tender, 6 minutes. While potatoes cook, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium. Add cumin seeds and cook until toasted, 1 minute. Pour off cumin oil into a small bowl and reserve. (Do not wipe out skillet.) Crack eggs into skillet and cook, without turning, until whites are set and yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer eggs to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. (Reserve skillet.)
- When potatoes are tender, transfer to a bowl with paprika and lime juice; season with salt and pepper and gently toss to coat. Divide sweet potatoes among 4 tortillas; top with cilantro and remaining tortillas. Return reserved skillet to medium-high heat. Cook quesadillas until charred in spots on both sides, about 2 minutes per side, in two batches. Serve each quesadilla topped with a fried egg, drizzled with reserved cumin oil.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes: Eggs|Entrees|Sweet Potatoes|Corn
over 1 year ago Sharon Rufener
A "quesadilla" without cheese? A semantic impossibility! Whoever wrote this recipe must be from the East Coast. Nobody living within a thousand miles of Mexico would make this goof.
almost 2 years ago Cassie Shamey
This turned out really well! I added some Queso Chihuahua and Avocado and it was a total hit. The only modification I might make next time is to tone down (maybe even to 1/4 t) the paprika on the sweet potatoes and add some ground cumin.
over 2 years ago Jess George
We really enjoyed this! We added a little Daiya fake cheese and that held them together nicely. Super tasty!
over 2 years ago KittyKate
these look wonderful! just wondering, though, about how much those sweet potatoes weigh? a ballpark idea would be helpful!
over 3 years ago vivzan
Hmm. These taste great, but I had a lot of problems. There's no binding agent in the mixture, so when heating the tortillas and flipping them over, stuff falls out. Same with actually eating them. Nothing stays within the tortillas. Is this happening to others?
over 3 years ago Danny Rath
maybe a little shredded cheese?
almost 2 years ago Cassie Shamey
Unless you're vegan, I used a little Queso Chihuahua and did not have any issue.
over 3 years ago jenettglobe
This is a lip smacking recipe and all my guests just loved this recipe.
business brokers charlotte nc
over 3 years ago Margaret Burroughs
Took more than 6 minutes to steam those potatoes! Otherwise spot on. I would never have thought to combine to make this on my own, but the recipe sounded good and was.
over 3 years ago DeGustibuzz
What do you do with the reserved cumin oil? The photo suggests that it is drizzled over the eggs, yet the recipe doesn't include that as a final step before serving.
over 3 years ago CarolineWright
You're right! Thanks for catching that. Fixed it!
over 3 years ago Vstarr71
Yum! Looking forward to making this fr lunch!
over 3 years ago food-alovestory.com
What an original recipe! With lime, cumin, sweet potatoes - it almost sounds south Indian. GF and Dairy free, too! What's not to love ? Thank you.