Today I have reviewed Trisha Yearwood’s “Sweet-Pea” Burgers found on Food Network.
Making the Dish
When I saw this recipe, it was just weird enough to intrigue me, but almost too weird for me to try it. So I thought “Hey, why not make it my first recipe review?” I mean, this is a burger made out of sweet potatoes and chickpeas, not something this hamburger connoisseur would normally gravitate toward. Let me just say this at the top, it vastly exceeded my expectations!
As I started reading the recipe, I quickly realized that it was basically your standard meatloaf without the meat. Instead, the recipe called for sweet potatoes and chickpeas. I love meatloaf. I love sweet potatoes. Ergo, I would love “sweet potato-loaf,” right? I love hamburgers so I should love “sweet potato-loaf” burgers, right? Well I did.
First, the recipe called for poking holes in the sweet potatoes, seasoning them, and baking them for an hour in the oven. After they bake, cut them in half and scoop out the inside. Now, I’ve made enough sweet potatoes to know not to do any of that. The much easier way is to not do anything to them, except put them in the oven (after a good washing of course).
If you bake a sweet potato without poking holes, adding olive oil, or salting and peppering them, they are much easier to peel. The skin puffs up and removes itself from the flesh of the sweet potato. So after you bake them, let them cool, and just pull the skin right off. Easy peezy, lemon squeezy.
Next, throw-’em in a bowl with the chickpeas and mash them with your masher. Then pop in the rest of the ingredients (flour, egg, breadcrumbs, chili powder, and Parmesan cheese). Mix those together well with your hands. Then, form them into patties.
You’re going to throw those in a skillet on medium with olive oil and a little butter. The recipe says 5 minutes per side but I let them sit for 6-7 minutes for a little extra crisp. Finish cooking them in batches, if needed. Then make that delicious honey mustard from the recipe.
As much as I loved these patties, the honey mustard outdid it. Just mayo, Dijon mustard, and honey (I went extra honey to even out the Dijon flavor) and BOOM! I had a sauce the whole family raved about.
I put the patties on Hawaiian buns, which actually was a bad choice. In the future, I would go with a potato bun, Kaiser roll, or just a wheat hamburger bun. I topped it off with a piece of romaine and the honey mustard.
By Their Numbers
Time: 2 hours
Active time: 40 minutes
This was pretty spot on. The time I spent actively cooking was a little higher, but that was spent mostly making a side to go along with the burgers.
Difficulty: Easy
I’d definitely agree with this. Very easy. Bake, mash, mix, fry, and plate.
Servings: 6
Spot on as well. Possibly even underselling it. The recipe called for 2 sweet potatoes and 2 cans of chickpeas. I used 3 sweet potatoes and 2 cans of chickpeas and made 8 very large patties. If you’re making it for two people you could cut the recipe in half and have plenty.
Final Verdict
This was a surprisingly great dish. It was super easy to make and I had leftovers for days, which I loved every time I ate them. I can’t believe how much I loved this dish. I had my reservations before and I was even more worried mashing it together. It smelled like cat food for a good portion in the middle. The patties worked well on buns or eating plain with a fork. Highly recommend.
Click here for the original recipe.
Thank you Trisha Yearwood for a great recipe. This has me wondering though… why haven’t I tried meatloaf burgers?
FINAL SCORE: 5/5
Would you try this recipe? Leave any suggestions for my next recipe review below.