A far cry from a classic shakshuka, yes, but we’ve found that sweet potatoes provide just the right amount of moisture and heft to serve as a base for these eggs. Serve this vibrant dish as a weekend brunch; it sure looks the part.
Make this recipe your own by using any kind of oozy melty cheese and any spice you like for the base. Plus, you can experiment with other hot sauces, such as Tabasco or harissa.
Related: How to Make the Perfect Egg-in-a-Hole
Excerpted from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad. Copyright © 2021 Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad. Photography by Elena Heatherwick. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love, Amazon, $38
Love this sweet potato shakshuka recipe? Try this West Indian egg curry recipe next!
ingredients
directions
Save time by cooking the sweet potatoes in the microwave instead.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Poke the sweet potatoes all over with a fork (about 10 times) and place them on a medium, parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until cooked through and softened. Set aside to cool and turn the oven temperature down to 400°F.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the red onion, 1 Tbsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and set aside to pickle.
Remove the cooked potato skins and tear them into roughly 1 ½-inch pieces. Transfer the potato flesh to a large bowl and set aside. Place the skins back on the baking sheet and toss with 1 Tbsp of oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Bake for 8 minutes or until nicely colored and starting to crisp up. Set aside to cool and crisp up further.
Use a fork to mash the potato flesh until smooth, then add the Cheddar, garlic, cumin, another Tbsp of oil, the remaining lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Mix to combine.
Put the remaining Tbsp of oil into a large frying pan, for which you have a lid, and swirl around to coat the bottom. Spoon the mashed potato mixture into the pan, using your spoon to distribute it evenly. Place on medium-high heat and let cook for about 7 minutes, for the bottom to start to colour. Turn the heat down to medium and use a spoon to make 8 wells in the potato mixture, breaking an egg into each. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, cover with the lid and cook for about 5 minutes, rotating the pan, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
While the eggs are cooking, put the butter and sriracha into a small saucepan on medium heat and cook until the butter has melted, whisking constantly to emulsify. Remove the mixture from the heat before it starts to bubble — you don’t want it to split.
When ready, spoon the sriracha butter all over the eggs, then top with a good handful of the crispy potato skins, half the pickled onion and all the cilantro leaves. Serve right away with the rest of the potato skins and pickled onion to eat alongside.
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