Sweet Potato Intrigue

Making this weeks recipe was a culinary adventure.  It began with a casual search for recipes.  While browsing blogs and recipe sites, I came across this beautiful picture.  The vibrant colors immediately grabbed my attention and my mouth began to water....but there was no recipe attached.  I faced a bit of a conundrum - a dish this appetizing just begs to be made, but where to begin? 

I knew I had to get to the kitchen right away and get to work. I printed the pic to use as a reference and spent the rest of the afternoon in the kitchen making up variations based on the image.  What a blast!  Figuring everything out was so much fun!

First I had to decide was this a salad or a hash?  It didn't really appear to have a dressing, so I went with the latter.

Next, what are the main ingredients? Obviously the dish contains tomatoes, avocados and sweet potatoes, but what about spices?  That was all up to me.  After a few tries, I decided that New Mexican Chili Powder, Cumin, and Garlic really worked well together. I also added a dash of cayenne to kick it up a notch. I toyed with adding some cubed bacon, but eventually decided to keep it vegetarian. 

I love roasted garlic and roasted bell peppers, so I added both to the dish.  I considered putting the sweet potatoes on the grill to continue the roasted theme, but since it was raining cats and dogs, I opted to pan-fry instead. The result was a creamy soft sweet potato with a wonderful crust on the outside. Call it fate, call it karma, but I don't think it could have worked out any better.

I added the avocados and tomatoes last to preserve their cool refreshing essence. A squirt of lime juice added a bit of acidity (and kept the avocado nice and green). Below is my final recipe. Give it a try, and be sure to let me know what you think. 

Pan Fried Sweet Potato Avocado Hash

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 small red onion diced
1 Medium Vine Ripe Tomato Cubed
1 Medium Avocado Cubed
1 Roasted Bell Pepper, peeled and chopped (homemade or from a jar)
1 tsp roasted garlic (homemade or jarred)
1/8 tsp cumin
Dash Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp New Mexican Chile Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh Cilantro
Fresh Lime Juice

Microwave Sweet potatoes until almost done.  Cut into cubes and set aside.  In a frying pan, sweat onion with a little olive oil until tender.  Add Sweet potatoes, garlic, bell peppers, and spices.  Cook until potatoes are lightly browned and are tender.  Add Tomatoes. Toss for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Toss mixture with avocados, squirt with fresh lime, and garnish with cilantro.