Meatless Monday: Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Garlic Cream Sauce

August 12, 2013 Category Vegetarian 7 Comments Tags avocado, exotic, garlic, meatless monday, sweet potatoes, vegetarian

Have you ever seen a Florida avocado? Um. They are crazy! I love me some (regular, California) avocados, but when I saw this so-called “Florida avocado” at my local market, with its freakishly huge size and its strangely smooth skin, I had to give it a try.

Verdict? Kindof disappointing. It’s definitely pretty, but it just isn’t as creamy and…avocado-y…as a California avocado. They actually taste a little…fruity? Does that make sense?

Anyway. Mildly disappointing avocados aside, you really, really, really need to try these smoky sweet potato burgers. I always know a meal is a hit when my husband takes a big bite, looks at me, and says “Oh yeah!” with his mouth full of food (side note: gross), and he definitely did that with these burgers. The patties had perfect smoky flavor, and I was really impressed by how well the garlic sauce came together with a base of Greek yogurt (rather than something richer). Basically – slam dunk. And vegetarian, too!

SMOKY SWEET POTATO BURGERS WITH GARLIC CREAM SAUCE (adapted from How Sweet It Is and Eats Well With Others)

1 large sweet potato
2 bulbs garlic (bulbs, not cloves)
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
2-3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling garlic
1 avocado, sliced
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp maple syrup (can sub with honey or agave)
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 sandwich buns (depending on how many patties you make)

1. Preheat oven to 400. Take garlic bulbs and — without unpeeling them — cut the top 1/3 of the bulb off and discard. Lightly drizzle garlic bulbs with olive oil, then wrap bulbs with aluminum foil.
2. Wrap sweet potato with aluminum foil and prick several times with a fork. Bake potato and garlic bulbs in oven until potato is tender and garlic is roasted, about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
3. Coarsely mash beans in large bowl with a fork. Scoop flesh out of baked and cooled potato; combine with mashed beans. Mix in panko, flour, egg, paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin. Let bowl chill in refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
4. Once garlic has cooled, squeeze roasted cloves out of skin (they should come out easily). Add roasted garlic cloves to food processor; process until smooth. Add in yogurt, maple syrup, and salt and pepper, and process until smooth.
5. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Form sweet potato mixture into 4-6 patties (depending on size preference; I did 5) and fry in oil until cooked through and golden, 4-5 minutes per side. If your patties have trouble staying together, pop them back in the fridge or even freezer for a few minutes after you’ve shaped them.
6. Serve burgers on buns with garlic sauce and sliced avocado.

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

I mean seriously: YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

Guys, these are really, really good. The patties have an awesome smoky flavor, and I was totally shocked by how delicious the garlic sauce was (given how few ingredients it had). I know the cook time for this is a little long, but most of it is hands-off while the potato bakes and the garlic roasts, so don’t dismiss this just because it’s not super quick. We loved this.

And make sure to get regular California avocados for topping!