Bomb Sweet Potato Nachos

Sweet potato nachos. A love child. You need this in your life, trust me. We have a lot of clients who are looking to increase plant-based meals, so we are always experimenting with new recipes and ideas to help our clients try new things in the kitchen. 

In Defense of Potatoes

Both sweet potatoes and white potatoes really don’t get enough credit. They have taken a reputation hit in this ~carbs are the villain BS era~ we are in. The facts are: potatoes of any type are a nutrient-dense carbohydrate, providing starch, fiber, potassium, vitamin A, B vitamins, and manganese. They are also affordable, so another big win.

A common misconception is that white potatoes are bad for you, and sweet potatoes are superior. When you look at the actual data (see below for a tidbit from our social media posts way back in the day), both potatoes have nutritional benefits. 

Sweet potatoes are slightly lower in starch (we see this reflected in the total carbohydrate number), slightly higher in fiber, a lot higher in vitamin A, and a tad higher in vitamin C. A russet or white potato is slightly higher in protein and slightly higher in potassium. Aside from the difference in vitamin A content, the other differences are slight. 

Both potatoes are great sources of a variety of nutrients. For this sweet potato nachos recipe we are sharing today, I initially made it with russet potatoes. And it was absolutely delicious. I then made a version with sweet potatoes, and it blew my socks off. 

Because sweet potatoes bring sweetness (duh), it paired so incredibly well with the heat from jalapeños and salsa. This flavor combination made me a BIG fan of sweet potato nachos. See notes below for variation in instructions based on potato type. 

 

Ingredients for Sweet Potato Nachos:

• Sweet potatoes or russet potatoes. See note below if using russet potatoes. Directions are slightly different.
• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• Cayenne pepper
• Kale. I prefer using lacinato or dinosaur kale. It has more tender leaves and tastes less grassy to me than curly kale. You can use whatever type you prefer!
• Jalapeño. I leave the seeds in. If you include the jalapeño in toppings you put in the oven (vs after oven), it mellows the heat a bit. If you desire zero heat, I would recommend deseeding the jalapeño. If you love heat, you could do some of both – add some in the step where it goes in the oven and add some raw on top as well. 
• Roma tomato. You could use any type of tomato really, but I like Roma here because they are not as juicy as some other tomato varieties. This works well for this dish so things aren’t swimming in liquid. 
• Red onion
• Black beans. Great source of plant-based protein, making this meal a one pan meal with a source of carbohydrates, protein and fat. Win!!
• Grated cheese. I love a combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese with these sweet potato nachos. I’m going to say something that most people probably will roll their eyes at, but I am not a big fan of pregrated/preshredded cheese. It does not melt well in my opinion, plus it’s more expensive. I have a high-quality grater I love and I buy block cheese and grate by hand. It melts sooo easily and beautifully, which is a big plus in a dish like sweet potato nachos. 
• Other toppings you like such as cilantro, Greek yogurt or sour cream, salsa and avocado

 

Directions for Sweet Potato Nachos: 

You’ll want to start by slicing your sweet potatoes. If you have a mandoline, that will speed this process up. However, it can easily be done with a knife as well. Aim for about ¼ inch thick slices. 

Uniform thickness is far more important than uniform diameter here, so it’s okay if slices are of varying circle sizes as long as they are roughly the same thickness. This helps them cook evenly.

Place the potato slices into a large bowl. Add salt, olive oil and cayenne pepper. Toss to evenly coat.