Sweet Potato Rounds With Goat Cheese Cranberry And Pecans

Oven-roasted sweet potato slices that are baked until golden, then piled high with some of the best ingredients of the season (and life in general)—goat cheese, tart apples, sweet cranberries, and toasted pecans—these addictive little rounds are the sort of appetizer I simply cannot stop eating, for many reasons. They’re both sweet and savory. It’s a combo that speaks to my tastebuds. I must listen to my body and help myself to a second sweet potato round. They involve a vegetable! Vegetables are healthy. My third sweet potato round is completely justified. Also fruit! Cranberries + apples. Clearly I need to have a fourth. Wait? Aren’t I supposed to have FIVE servings of fruits and vegetables a day? Best grab another. Also, they taste like the holidays! The holidays come but once a year and pass quickly. I need to take advantage…

Of course I care deeply that the other guests enjoy the appetizers I bring too, and I was not the only guest hovering around the plate of sweet potato rounds with goat cheese. I also like to provide something healthy (or at least healthy-ish) so that the overall spread includes at least one wholesome option. Because this appetizer’s base is healthy baked sweet potato slices, it’s actually reasonably good for you without being as overtly healthy as the hummus and veggie tray. No offense to raw celery and carrot intended—I simply want something a bit warmer and more festive to eat while I’m sipping Christmas Punch.

I first discovered the beauty of turning sweet potato rounds into an easy appetizer back when I made these Sweet Potato Bites with Avocado and Bacon. Today’s recipe puts a holiday spin on that same concept by swapping the avocado and bacon for classic fall and winter ingredients that pair beautifully together.

Recipe Adaptations

Sweet Potato Rounds with Feta. If you aren’t a fan of goat cheese, you can easily use feta or a mild blue cheese instead. I’d be hesitant to omit the cheese entirely, as it gives the topping creaminess and helps it hold together. To Make Paleo + Dairy Free. I’d suggest trying these Sweet Potato Bites with Avocado and Bacon, since those fit both categories already.

The goat cheese, cranberry, and apple topping is wonderful on its own, so I can also see it working well on top of crackers (I was practically eating it out of the bowl with a spoon), but I loved it so much on the baked sweet potato slices, I highly recommend giving the recipe a try as written first. The sweet potato rounds will soften a bit as they sit, but they still taste delicious and are tasty served at room temperature too.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

To Make Ahead. The topping can be prepared up to 1 day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. You can also roast the potato rounds in advance, then rewarm them in an oven just before serving. The bites will soften as they sit but taste great at room temperature, even if they are a bit soft. To Store. Place rounds in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.