Whoa, can there be any finer recipe for February (or any other month, for that matter) than this one, where the exotic spice, garam masala, brings out the best in the other ingredients - nope, there surely is none.
If you had the good fortune to have attended the Durant Olive Mill pressing this November and purchased a trio of their oils, be sure to stir one of the oils into this yogurt sauce, thereby pleasing your taste buds to no end. In my kitchen, there simply is no substitute for Durant's 2019 unfiltered Koroneiki Olio Nuovo evvo, expensive, yes, but simply the ingredient high point of 2019 for me.
Just as 2020 appears to be a magical year, so does this recipe. It's a magnificent choice for any occasion, turning a seemingly simple meal into a preeminent dining experience. Trust me, I know, and so does Dona who was my last guest to find Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lamb as the star of our luncheon menu! She's still praising my culinary skills, thanks to this recipe!
Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lamb
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more
1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise
½ medium fennel bulb (about 6 oz.), thinly sliced,
plus fronds for serving (optional)
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup apple cider, coconut, or unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces ground lamb
1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon Aleppo-style pepper, plus more for serving
8 ounces wild mushrooms, (such as oyster or shiitake), sliced ¼" thick
½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Fill a large saucepan with about 1" water; season with a big pinch of salt. Set a steamer basket in pot. Cover pot and bring water to a boil. Add sweet potato, cover, and steam until fork-tender, 20–25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss sliced fennel, onion, vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Let sit, tossing occasionally, at least 10 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add lamb, garam masala, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt and press into an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, until well browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Break up into pieces with a heatproof rubber spatula and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes. Push mixture to one side of skillet and add mushrooms to the cleared space in an even layer; season with salt. Cook, undisturbed, until beginning to brown and soften, 3 minutes, then stir together with lamb mixture. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden brown, about 2 minutes more.
- Whisk yogurt, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon salt in a small bowl.
- Divide potato halves between bowls and mash slightly with a fork. Top with yogurt sauce and mushroom mixture. Lift fennel and onion out of vinegar with your hands and scatter over bowls; discard vinegar. Top with fennel fronds (if using), and pepper.
Note: We apologize to those creative individuals who crafted this recipe which was given to us by someone who had cut it out of a magazine thereby stripping it of its origin. When and if that source becomes available, we will most certainly add that credit to this post.