Sweet Potato & Roasted Garlic Hummus

Is it spring yet?  It's still freezing here.  Also, yesterday was so windy that I ended up getting dust and tiny pebbles blown into my eyes several times during my ten-minute walk to the train.  A little early-spring sandstorm right here in Boston.  Needless to say, I was not a fan.

I'm trying to keep my food springy, in hopes that the weather will follow suit.  So, here is some paleo (chickpea-free) hummus.  It's a little sweet from the sweet potato, but with lots of savory flavor from the tahini, a whole head of roasted garlic, and some garlic-infused olive oil.  Don't be intimidated by the large quantity of garlic--it mellows out as it roasts, and the flavor is amazing.  Your house will smell amazing, too.

Are you surprised that this sweet potato hummus is not orange?  So was I!  Sometimes I buy Hannah yams at Whole Foods, which are basically like white sweet potatoes that also have white skin.  However, this time, I bought what I thought was a garnet yam (purplish on the outside, orange on the inside).  To my surprise, when I sliced open the roasted sweet potato, it was white!  I think I must have actually gotten a Japanese sweet potato.  If you're confused about all these varieties, check out this picture.  I've tried all of these and they taste pretty similar to me, but it's fun to play around with the different colors.  This dip definitely looks more like regular hummus when made with a white sweet potato, but it would be great with an orange one, too.

Anyway, regardless of its color, this dip is a perfect accompaniment for some crispy, bright veggies.  It doesn't taste just like regular hummus, but I like it just as much.  The texture is actually much smoother than chickpea hummus, and all the flavors go together really well.  Best of all, people who can't tolerate legumes will be able to enjoy this without risking any tummy discomfort.  I hope you like it!

Sweet Potato & Roasted Garlic Hummus
Yield: About 2 cups
Prep time: 5 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the roasted garlic (method from How Sweet It Is):

1 head of garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs fresh thyme

For the hummus:

1 large white or orange sweet potato, roasted and peeled*
3 tablespoons tahini
Cloves from 1 head of roasted garlic (from above)
1 tablespoon roasted garlic olive oil (from above)
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 salt, or to taste
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste

For serving:

Cayenne or paprika
Roasted garlic olive oil
Raw vegetables (carrots, radishes, asparagus, celery, broccoli, and/or cherry tomatoes)

*Prick the sweet potato a few times with a fork and wrap it in foil.  Place it right on the oven rack while you roast the garlic.  The sweet potato will probably take longer than the garlic to cook; once the garlic is out of the oven, raise the temperature to 400 and continue to roast until a knife slides easily all the way through the sweet potato.  Let it cool, then peel it.

To make the roasted garlic, preheat the oven to 300.  Trim the top off the head of garlic so the top of each clove is exposed.  If you want to make extra roasted garlic for another recipe, you can roast a few more heads.  Place them cut side down in an 8x8 glass baking dish.  Pour the olive oil over them, and place the sprigs of thyme in the oil.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cloves of garlic are tender when pierced with a fork.

Using tongs, remove the garlic to a plate to cool.  When it's cool enough to handle, squeeze out the cloves or remove them with a fork.  Strain the oil into a heatproof jar.  If you are not making the hummus right away, both the roasted garlic and the oil need to be stored in the refrigerator.  Dangerous bacteria can grow in garlic-infused oil if it is kept at room temperature.  Extra oil will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days and is delicious in any savory recipes that call for olive oil.

To make the hummus, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and process with an immersion blender, or process in a food processor, until smooth.  Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle with a little of the garlic oil.  Sprinkle with some cayenne or paprika and serve cool or at room temperature with vegetables.

Store any leftover hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  It will keep for up to two days.

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