Confession time: this past weekend was one of those weekends.
One of those weekends when someone mistakes your pajamas for a uniform.
One of those weekends when nobody thinks about laundry until the piles threaten line of site to the TV.
One of those weekends when breakfast is the only meal on the table for 48 hours straight.
I’ll be honest, that last point is never a hard sell for me (OK, fine, none of the above is ever a hard sell for me); I don’t think I’ve made any secret of my passionate love affair with breakfast.
And it just feels right to eat food meant for lazy mornings all throughout the day when your mornings are running into your afternoons, which are running into your evenings. Don’t you think?
I’m on a serious chorizo + sweet potato = winning campaign lately. It’s just really hard not to love the combination of savory, salty chorizo sausage and creamy, satisfying sweet potato; I firmly believe that some foods are just made to be eaten together, and these are two of those.
I should mention that these are not true patty melts: chorizo does not give good patty. But you can get the idea…
a layer of sweet, seasoned potato purée…
topped with crumbled chorizo and caramelized onions…
finished with creamy, melted cheese…
smashed between two thick pieces of buttered bread…
I’ll call you whatever you want if you’ll just get into my tummy ASAP.
So I’m going to leave you with the recipe for these lovelies now – I’ve got some laundry to do, pajamas to air out, and patty melts to finish off.
It’s a good thing the weekend is over. And it’s a good thing there’s another one only four days away.
Chorizo & Sweet Potato Patty Melts
16 oz. pork chorizo (note that you’ll need Mexican fresh chorizo here, not Spanish dried chorizo)
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, ends removed, cut into thirds
1/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. ancho chile, ground
16 slices white bread (I used thick-cut ‘Texas Toast’ style sliced white bread here)
16 slices white American cheese (note that sliced cheddar or even Monterey Jack cheese may be substituted here)
Place the chorizo in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium flame and cook, stirring often and using the back of a wooden spoon to break apart. Once chorizo is about halfway cooked through, approximately 7-10 minutes, add onion and cook for 5 minutes more. Add garlic and cook for just 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, place sweet potato pieces in a large pot with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook until fork-tender, approximately 20 minutes. Remove, drain and place cooked pieces into a large heat-proof bowl. Mash lightly with a fork, then stir in the buttermilk, black pepper and cumin, mixing until you have a uniform purée. Set aside.
Finally, stir softened butter, honey and ancho chile together in a small bowl, mixing until well-blended.
To assemble your patty melts, place 8 slices of bread on a sheet tray and top liberally with sweet potato purée, then cooked chorizo mixture, and finally 2 slices of cheese. Finish each sandwich with a second slice of bread that has been buttered liberally (the buttered side should be facing up). Once your sandwiches are assembled, heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over a medium flame and carefully add your sandwiches, buttered side down (you don’t want to crowd your pan so I recommend frying no more than one or two sandwiches at a time). Fry for 3-4 minutes, buttering the bread facing up while the underside cooks. Flip as soon as the underside is golden brown and crisped and fry for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked sandwiches, slice and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
YIELD: 8 large patty melts
These look so awesome! Totally creative!! Love chorizo.
Yes, yes, and 10,000 more “yes’s” to this recipe! I would love to enjoy this for lunch – yum!
I love staying in my PJs all day. Ahah This sandwich sounds awesome! I enjoy eating chorizo!
my goodness girl those look good!
i love chorizo so much
i have to eat a six pack of tums, but it’s worth it!
lol
UMMMM, wow! This looks SO tasty!
I could eat breakfast all day long too!! This looks amazeballs!
That kind of weekend sounds fabulous! I love how creative your dishes all are–yum!
This looks SO GOOD. I love the salty chorizo and sweet potato combo. I need to make these, but on a day when the BF isn’t around, because I don’t think he’d eat anything in there if he saw what was actually in it
OH MY GOD Meagan this looks incredible!!!!!!!
Not only are you hitting my dream sweet & savory combo, but you’ve covered it with cheese!!! My bf would be so obsessed with this, I think I’m going to have to make it! No tweaks, either – this looks perfect!
Anything with melting cheese is sinfully delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe.
Oh sweet jeebus. I’m on way over for dinner.
Chorizo rules… that ’tis all!
oh man, these look amazing!! those flavors combined sound killer!
omg… whaaaaaaaat?! This needs to get in my life right-now! I’ve been totally obsessed with sweet potatoes lately, and we have chorizo in the fridge… you know what I gotta do, right?
I know it, and you know it, so get to it, lady.
These look–as the kids (and my girlfriend) be sayin–amazeballs. Great concept
The KIDS?!? It’s amazeballs how old you be makin me feel, YOUNGER BROTHER.
WOW! Now THAT is a sandwich!
Looks really nummy……maybe you could find a way to make a chorizo-stuffed tamale, with the masa made from sweet potato, and a fire roasted ancho chile layer in between the chorizo and the masa. BTW, I love your blog!
Whoa. Now that would be a tamale for the ages. Thanks for stopping by, Steve!
Oh man, soft, gooey, salty sweet and a bit crispy. You have covered all my major food groups with this! Thank you!
Breakfast for dinner will always be a winner for me. This whole thing is a winning combo, actually.
That’s sexy…
Chorizo does have a sort of je ne sais quoi…
I have a sweet potato recipe tomorrow! My husband would LOVE these patties of yours. That crispy bread and the chorizo – he’d be all over it!
Yes! And when I use this as husband feed, I often substitute Soyrizo for the chorizo and nobody’s the wiser!