Sweet Potato Po'boys (Vegan)
This may sound a little wierd, but what a great sandwich it makes! Sweet potato slices, breaded and fried, slathered with Fennel marmalade, then piled high with Sweet peppercorn slaw, and served with aioli! So worth the effort. A short history: Bennie and Clovis Martin left their Raceland, Louisiana, home in the Acadiana region in the mid-1910s for New Orleans. Both worked as streetcar conductors until they opened Martin Brothers' Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market in 1922. The years they had spent working as streetcar operators and members of the street railway employees' union would eventually lead to their hole-in-the-wall coffee stand becoming the birthplace of the poor boy sandwich.Sometimes I can't find fennel, so just use 1 more small onion and add about 1/4-1/2 tsp. fennel seeds. Adapted from Joni Marie Newman. Thank you Joni! You have wonderful recipes!
INGREDIENTS
NutritionFor the Sweet Potatoes
- 1large sweet potato
- 1⁄2
- 1⁄2
- 1⁄2cup corn flakes, crushed
- 1teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1⁄4teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Fennel Marmalade
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1fennel bulb, sliced in a thin julienne (reserve the leaves for later use-if you can't get use celery-1 large stalk)
- 2
- 2
- 1pinch salt
- 2tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
For the Aioli
- 1⁄3cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1⁄2teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- 1
- 1teaspoon minced garlic
- vegetable oil (for frying)
- 4(6 inch) French rolls
DIRECTIONS
- Sweet potatoes:
- Slice the sweet potato into thin rounds, about 1/4 inch thick. You can peel your potatoes or leave the skin on.
- Place the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat(or sprayed with cooking spray or lightly oiled).
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Fennel Marmalade:
- While potatoes are cooking, add olive oil to a pan and heat over low heat. Add fennel, garlic, shallots, and a pinch of salt.
- Slowly cook until very soft and tender, and just beginning to caramelize, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionaly.
- Add in agave syrup or honey and toss to coat. Turn up the heat and cook about 5 more minutes, stirring constantly, until caramelized, sticky, and browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Aioli: Whisk ingredients together. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- Finishing up the sweet potatoes:
- Preheat your oil to 350°F (180°C).
- Place milk in a shallow dish. Add flour, cornflakes, Old Bay seasoning, and cayenne to a resealable plastic bag and shake to combine.
- Dip one round into the milk to coat and then add it to the bag. Repeat until you have about 5 rounds in the bag. Shake to coat the potatoes with the flour mixture.
- Carefully add to the coated potatoes to the hot oil and cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning half way through, until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Repeat until all potatoes are fried.
- Assemble the Po’ Boys: Spread a layer of aioli on each half of the french roll. Pile 1/4 of the sweet potatoes on the bottom half of the roll, and top with 1/4 of the Fennel Marmalade, add a heaping pile of the Sweet Peppercorn Coleslaw(or coleslaw of your choice), if using. Serve immediately.