Necessity is the mother of invention, and when you’re missing all of your kitchen equipment, you get creative. We’ve been living out of a single suitcase for some months now, and although I have found a couple of major necessities in the mountain of unpacked moving boxes, I haven’t been able to locate my silicon loaf pan. As someone who makes the Life Changing Loaf of Bread on the reg, it’s been a challenge living without, but a stellar opportunity to come up with bread alternatives that don’t involve a lot of ingredients or special equipment. As I was chopping up some sweet potato for a soup a couple of weeks ago, it dawned on me: what if I cut the sweet potato the other way and turned it into a slice of bread?! It was just crazy enough to work. And it did.
Ever since then, I’ve been roasting sweet potato slices once a week, keeping them in my fridge and having a sandwich-like-thing when the mood strikes. It’s delicious! Not to mention wildly satisfying and so easy to make. I’ve experimented with different herbs and spices on the sweet potatoes, using special salts, and even drizzling with flavoured oils once they’re out of the oven. So far, I’m digging smoked salt and garlic powder, but the cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom combo was a close second at breakfast, smeared with chunky hazelnut butter.
The spread I’ve come up with as a pairing to this sandwich sitch, is a horseradish and beetroot “schmear”. Partly because I like saying the word schmear, but mostly because it’s incredible in combination with the sweet potatoes. It’s earthy, spicy, and complex – a great counterpoint to the sweetness of the spuds. I also like the texture difference: the sweet potatoes are so smooth and creamy, while the beet schmear is chunky and toothsome. If you’ve never had fresh horseradish before, be prepared to be blown away! This stuff is so, so special and delicious, I have no idea why it’s such an under-utilized root veggie.
A part of the Brassicaceae family, horseradish shares ties with mustard, broccoli, cabbage, and wasabi. In fact, most commercially-available wasabi is made of horseradish (along with mustard, starch, and green food dye) since wasabi is challenging to grow and therefore much more expensive. But that familiar and addictive rush of sinus-clearing pleasure-pain? That’s the action of isothiocyanate, the compound found in wasabi, horseradish, and strong mustard that gives off heat when crushed, grated, or chewed. This stuff tends to mellow out once it hits the air, which is why horseradish snobs (they exist!) insist on grating it fresh. In the case of my schmear here, it will still taste delish a day or two after you’ve made it, but you may want to grate a little fresh over the top for a boost. It’s the best way to clear out those nasal cavities this side of a neti pot!
Horseradish has been used as powerful winter medicine for hundreds of years. Widely recognized for its expectorant capabilities, it is incredibly effective at removing mucus, and aiding with bronchial and lung disorders. Horseradish is a good source of vitamin C and zinc, two key players in immune system support, so consuming it in the colder months will help ward off the seasonal bugs flying around. For sore throats and coughs, combine one tablespoon of freshly grated horseradish with one teaspoon of raw honey, and one teaspoon of ground clove to some warm water. Sip the brew slowly, or use it as a gargle.
This is more of a concept than a recipe, and a chance to try out sweet potatoes in a new way. Cut them as thick or as thin as you like. Mine are around 1cm, but that is just my personal preference. Remember that the slices will definitely shrink a bit during cooking, so slice them a tad thicker than you would want the finished roasted slice to be. You can even make shapes with a cookie cutter – great for kids lunches! Let your imagine run with this one, and keep me posted on which spreads and seasonings you’re vibing on.
Sweet Potato Sandwiches
Makes 6-8 sandwiches
2-3 fat, stubby sweet potatoes (organic if possible)
coconut oil for rubbing (optional)
salt and pepper + other spices or herbs
1 batch Horseradish Beet Schmear (recipe below)
sliced fresh veggies: bell peppers, cucumber, avocado, sprouts, grated carrot etc.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C.
2. Wash and scrub sweet potatoes well, then slice lengthwise into 1 cm-thick slabs (approximately .4 inches). Place on a baking sheet and rub with coconut oil if using, and sprinkle with salt and pepper, plus any other spices or herbs you’d like.
3. Place in the oven and bake until tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and use immediately or store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
4. To assemble, spread one slice of sweet potato with the Horseradish Beet Schmear. Top with your favourite sliced veggies, sprouts, salt and pepper and another slice of sweet potato. You can also add mustard, vegan mayo, or any other condiment that you like. Enjoy!
Horseradish Beet Schmear
Makes 2 cups / 500ml
Ingredients:
1 lb. / 500g beets (about 4-5 small)
coconut oil for rubbing
1 small clove garlic
3 Tbsp. freshly grated horseradish, or more to taste
3 Tbsp. tahini
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cold-pressed olive oil
½ tsp. fine sea salt, to taste
¼ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Rub beets with a little coconut oil, set on a baking try, and place in the oven. Roast for 20-30 minutes until you can easily pierce the beets with a sharp knife tip.
2. Remove baking tray and let cool until you can handle them. Slide off the skins, or use a vegetable peeler. Roughly chop the beets and set aside.
3. In a food processor, pulse garlic until minced. Add horseradish, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, then blend on high to combine. Add the chopped beets and pulse to chop. Blend as much or as little as you like – I like my spread a bit chunky. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Some may like more horseradish – go for it! Remember that the bite will mellow out when it’s mixed with everything in the sandwich.
4. Use immediately, and store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to five days.
Although the past few months of life limbo have been pretty frustrating, there are so many exciting things on the horizon that I cannot wait to share with you! First, my family and I are getting closer and closer to our new move-in date (you can watch house renovation updates on my Instagram Stories). Second, I’m heading to Palm Springs for an EPIC bloggers’ retreat organized by my friend Sasha Swerdloff at the end of this month. And I’m finishing up details on a sweet collaboration with one of my favourite juice bars in Toronto, that we will launch with a free public event! Stay tuned for more details on all the things.
Love you guys. Now go have a sandwich,
Sarah B
Sweet potato sandwiches ? looks so delicious, maybe I’ll try to make it
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Oh, my doctor says I have to give up bread. I was going to give away my toaster, but I’m glad I didn’t thank to you! This is a big help.
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Made these today–SO GOOD. Okay, so the grocery store was out of horseradish due to Corona, but I figured that I loved the remaining ingredients for the schmear and should try it anyway. And I’m so glad I did! What I was able to make is definitely I want to remake again and again. My favorite combo of seasonings for the sweet potatoes so far is a cumin/chili pepper mix (the salt/pepper combo I tried was too bland).
Note for anyone making this–do make sure to get uniform, preferably small beets. I realized 40 minutes into cooking that just letting the one big beet cook longer would not be sufficient–after trying to cut it in half, I discovered I needed to lower the temperature to 375 degrees so it wouldn’t burn, and the beet was turning out much less tender than the faster-cooking edges had seemed before I sliced it in half. I was surprised but thankful that the schmear still turned out amazing!
Tbank you so much for the recipe Sarah! Another winner from you.
Great tips here! Thanks so much 🙂
Wow! This looks very nutritious. I will definitely try this one. The ingredients are all my favorite. I’ll probably just add wheat bread.
I like potatoooo xD
Your sweet potato sandwich recipe is really amazing. I just love your recipe. Thanks for sharing such an amazing recipe.
I ended up using the baked sweet potato slices and made a “pizza” by putting two roasted Roma tomatoes and topped with cheese and broiled it. Delicious, healthy, fast and easy!
It sounds superior!! I’ve by no means heard about utilizing sweet potato as the slice of bread. I’ll undoubtedly do this colorful sandwiches. Thanks for value return sharing.
You have a good point here!I totally agree with what you have said. Thanks for sharing your views,hope more people will read this article.
How long do you think the schmear will last in the fridge? Love the idea of this!
Hi Bim!
About five days in the fridge 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
xo, Sarah B
Thanks Sarah, great recipe. You write beautifully by the way.
Thank you so much, Adet! Big love to you,
Sarah B
Great… Thank you so much.
Thanks Sarah, great recipe. You write beautifully by the way.
Hello Aktüel!
Thank you so much for the lovely comment <3 I'm glad you like the recipe (and my writing!). I hope you get to try the wedges 😉
xo, Sara B
This was such a nice late lunch summer treat! The kids were suspicious about what I was feeding them until they took a bite and ran off with them. This is definitely going to be a new staple in my kitchen, thanks for sharing! (P.S. I used probably twice the amount of beets, yum.)
Hi Sarah! I tried making these sandwiches during the Easter holiday and my family loves them. I know it wasn’t the type of sandwich they would normally eat but they said those sandwiches tasted so refreshingly good. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!
I was looking for new ideas for breakfast, because I got to the point that it kept repeating. I just tried these sweet potato sandwiches and the taste is amazing. I did however with a little tweak: I used grilled chicken breast spiced with black pepper and himalayan salt. 😀
It’s a nice article on sweet potato sandwich.It looks delicious and I will share it with others.
I learn new and I am constantly looking for the same recipe and finally, I got it here.it’s mouthwatering.
OMG – the schmear is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! My 16-year-old couldn’t stop eating it on the sweet potato slices! We ended up preferring cooked veggies on the sweet potato slices (just the schmear enough was wonderful!). Another thought: These slices can make great appetizers as well. A roasted eggplant/roasted red pepper dip was also a delish alternative. Thanks for your creativity!
This looks so delicious and refreshing!
This potato sandwich reminds me more of a vegan burger where instead of meat we have a sweet potato. Very recipe fans.
My God! the sandwiches look so colorful, fresh and scrumptious! I just want to grab a bite right this instant! But I know I’ll have to put in a little effort in making it before I can find out what it tastes like. I love the taste of sweet potatoes but have never tried them in a sandwich. I’m sure it will taste amazing.
Congratulations on your new digs and thank you for sharing this lovely recipe!
So sorry to post this here, but I am trying to get through for some customer service on a photo (pdf) I purchased, which I have not yet received. I see no email to do this on the site anywhere. Please advise.
Hi Kathleen – thanks for getting in touch about this! We’ve written you back, but if you still haven’t received an email, please write to info@mynewroots.org to let us know. Thanks!
sweet potato sandwich? a unique and interesting idea .. is this delicious and safe to eat?
Great recipe, thanks for sharing
Great recipe love it!Looks yammie!
This sounds amazing! Where do you get your fresh horseradish? What’s the best season to find it? I tried Superstore, but no luck.
This is so delicious!!! I have already made it, so easy and yummy!!! Thanks for sharing it.
My tip for healthy easy eating: With this stunningly simple cookbook – http://bit.ly/2CVYjLo –
Hi Sarah. I read your blog regularly but this is my first comment here. I had to write this. I’m from Poland and horseradish is an important igredient here. Especially over Easter, we grate fresh horseradish into a soup called żurek or barszcz biały and it’s delicious. Sadly not very vegetarian most of the time. However, the beet schmear is almost identical to what we call ćwikła (veg) and usually eat with ham sandwiches or paté. It’s great on sandwiches with lentil paté too. If you find this interesting at all, there is a vegan-only blog written by a very inspiring Polish vegan called Marta Dymek. She really convinced a LOT of people to eat more veggies and less meat. The website is called jadlonomia. I think there is an English version too.
Hey It’s wonderful to make sandwiches with so fresh filling like yours. However, I’m wondering is more tasty if we put like one or two thin sliced pork or beef in? Bc I prefer it will a little bit salty than just sweet? 🙂
Nice post.!!
And I love this sweet potato sandwiche
It sounds awesome!! I have never heard about using sweet potato as slice of bread. I will definitely try this colorful sandwiches.
Sweet potato bread is the BEST! I love making sweet potato toast. It’s great with peanut butter, hummus, nutritional yeast, avocado, jam, or any nut butter, really! ALSO, I tried making sweet potato sandwiches as well, but definitely not like this! It was more of a “slice a sweet potato in half, spread anything on top of each half, and dig in!”
Hi Sarah, love all the beautiful colours in that sandwich. Makes me feel happy and hungry at the same time!
Just wanted to let you know that I made the stuffed sweet potatoes (broccoli/chickpea filling option) from your latest cookbook the other night. They were crazy yum. 🙂
The way you’ve put these together just makes them looks so inviting and colourful. Also, I love the idea of subbing potato in for bread – I mean, I like a good loaf but I’m all about potato, too!
This reminds me of a beet hummus I make often with beets, tahini, lemon, garlic and cumin. I will definitely try this. Thanks!!
Hi Sarah, I normally toast the sweet potato slices on my bread toaster and they taste fine (and it’s a bit quicker than oven-roasting, if we are in a hurry). I also use a store-bought beet and horseradish paste (and I’m crazy about it in many meals), but I will definitely make mu own out of the recipe you shared with us!
I did make them this weekend (with sprouts, tomatoes, cucumber, roasted red peppers that I made the day before, parsley, and chopped spinach). I presented it sort of “smørbrød” as an open faced sandwich because my husband said he only wanted “one” slice. And…..then he ended up eating two slices. And he ate them both before I even ate one. When my husband doubles his intended consumption, it’s definitely a hit 🙂 Thank you!
Just made this for lunch today. Delicious beet schmear! I loved the kick of the horseradish in there And the contrast of the creaminess of the sweet potato and avocado with the crispness of cucumber. I then dipped pita chips into the extra Beet schmear as a dip. So good.
Hey Shirley,
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for the feedback 🙂 I love the schmear as a dip too!
xo, Sarah B
Thanks Sarah, great recipe. You write beautifully by the way.
Hi Vanessa,
Wow – thank you so much! Big love to you…hope you get to try the recipe!
xo, Sarah B
How long do you think the schmear will last in the fridge? Love the idea of this!
Hello Pernilla,
The schmear lasts for about 4-5 days, but like I said, the horseradish kick won’t be as strong. Just grate a little on top for extra zip!
Enjoy,
Sarah B
Thank you Sarah for this refreshing new idea of a sandwich!
Just a question – is it possible to eat raw sweet potato? I tried some when I made soup the other day and it was wonderful. I was just wondering health wise?
Hello Surale,
Great question – and yes, absolutely! Raw sweet potato is so good, and very good for you 🙂 Here’s one of my fav recipes from waaaay back https://mynewroots.wpenginepowered.com/2008/09/seaweed-of-the-month-club-part-i-2/ You can absolutely slice the sweet potato and leave them raw, but I’d suggest soaking them in a little lemon juice for 30 minutes or so, just to help digestion.
I hope that helps!
xo, Sarah B
Thank you Sarah and my apologies for the verrrryyy belated response to your quick one. I enjoy the vibrant and buoyant character of your writing 🙂
How much garlic did you use for the spread? You mention mincing garlic but it is not on the list of ingredients … The schmear (love that word also, plus horseradish) and everything around it souns great. Will try soon. Thank you as always.
Oh no, I stayed up too late again reading your blog. But I’ll definitely be serving these to my kids this week. Thank you so much for the practical and helpful recipes! Starting the sprouts now…
Wahoo! That’s great to hear Carrie. I hope your kids love them as much as we do 🙂
Enjoy!
Sarah B
A few months ago I saw a recipe with sweet potato toast/bread and had the same realization you did – what an ingenious idea. Then I Googled it and realized I was a little late to the party. Nonetheless it’s a great idea. In fact, I’m using them as a “crostini” for appetizers for a friend’s gathering. The Schmear sounds delicious.
Hi Diane,
I think I’m a little late to the party too! I’d seen toast before, but not slices like this. Turns out that it IS a thing 😉 Crostini is awesome too! Gotta love that humble sweet potato. Hope you like the schmear!
xo, Sarah B
Sweet potato, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and hazelnut butter for breakfast?? Yum! Cant wait to try it! By the way.. If you love hazelnut butter as much as I do..you will LOVE this brand…”Prana”.. IT IS AMAZING AND ADDICTIVE let me tell you! Nothing else but 100% hazelnuts from Italy and all organic!
https://www.prana.bio/en_ca/organic-hazelnut-butter
Hey Maude,
I’ve heard of that brand before (I love their dried figs!), but I’ve never had their nut butters. Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
I hope you love the breakfast as much as I do.
Big love,
Sarah B
Yes! I have been experimenting with Sweet Pota-toast myself and love the look and sound of this combination. Thank you for always being such a source of succulent inspiration 🙂
Hi Julia,
You’re so sweet to say that, thank you 🙂 I’ve tried the toast myself but didn’t like the raw-ness (surprisingly). I like roasting them much more! I hope you get to try it.
xo, Sarah B
So happy to see you posting again! Sweet potatoes are amazing and have so many uses. These sandwiches look AMAZING. I have not tried a veggie sandwich with them but am headed to the store right now for grocery shopping and will be picking up some sprouts and tomatoes for some sandwiches. By the way, your kitchen counter looks awesome….and that sink!!!!!! Hope your weekend is super. 🙂
I second Denise! That sink is amaaazing! ? The counters look awesome too.
Hey Denise,
First of all, thanks for your kind words about the countertop – I am over the moon! Haha…
I hope you got a chance to try the sandwiches this weekend. I am always amazed at the versatility of the humble sweet potato <3 Sounds like you feel the same!
xo, Sarah B