Grilled Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Wraps
I can't let a fall pass by without representation of my favorite seasonal veggie, the sweet potato! Having used this tuber in tostadas, salads, tacos, mashers, and just straight up wedges, you may think I might have tired of coming up with new recipes that center this orange-fleshed sweet spud, but I'll take any excuse to cook some up. This year comes with it yet another new use: being fodder for a sandwich in these grilled cauliflower and sweet potato wraps.
When you hear "wrap," I'm guessing you're probably thinking a large flour tortilla, but I went the extra mile here and made my own flatbread and that was clutch in making these sandwiches so good. I didn't reinvent any wheel in the bread recipe though and instead called up a tried and true flatbread that already has multiple representations on this site. I like this recipe so much because the resulting bread is thin and tender with a great flavor thanks to the use of tangy yogurt as the hydration agent in the dough.
The original recipe is by Kenji López-Alt, and it calls for roughly two equal rising times of two hours, but my multiple experiences in making this dough have resulted in the first rise—which happens as a whole ball—taking about two and half hours to sufficiently double in volume, while the second rise—after being divided into individual portions—taking shorter at one to one and half hours.
Whatever your experience is, you'll undoubtedly have hours of down time, which is ideal here to make all of the components of the sandwich. Without a sauce, I knew the cauliflower and sweet potato combo would be a little dry, so I devised a simple sauce to compliment those veggies that used Greek yogurt with the brightness and tang turned up a bit with the addition of lemon juice and then a small amount of cumin tossed in to provide and earthy undertone.
I also considered doubling up the sauces with cranberry sauce too, which I actually had on hand, but instead of lengthening this recipe, I thought I'd get a similar sweet and tart effect with dried cranberries. It was that notion that also led me to think that mixing in some toasted walnuts would add a good extra depth to the final sandwich with a mellow nuttiness and contrasting crunch to the soft veggies.
To prep the veggies, I cut a head of cauliflower into large florets that would not slip between the grates, and then peeled and diced the sweet potatoes into one-inch cubes. I tossed both of those with olive oil and a seasoning mixture I use often with sweet potatoes that features primarily chili powder and cumin to add contrasting heat and extra depth.
I planned to make use of a single fire on the grill to first cook the bread, then the veggies, so I rolled out the dough while the coals were lighting in order to be able to cook them quickly and then get the veggies on without losing too much heat. I rolled each piece of dough out into a roughly eight inch circle that was pretty thin. There was enough flour still clinging to the dough after rolling it out that I was able to stack them all on top of each other without them sticking to easily transfer them grill-side.
Having the dough prepped when the fire is just ready is key because this bread cooks best with high heat—one reason grilling will give you better results than the oven. I had set-up a two-zone fire for cooking the veggies, so I had half the grill available for direct heat cooking, which was enough space to cook two pieces of bread at once. The bread cooks so fast, I'm not sure I'd want to do more than that at once anyway because the dough will start bubbling in less than minute, then needs to be watched and flipped often to prevent it from burning. It's also fun to watch because after those initial bubbles form, the bread puffs up like a pita. As each piece of bread was done, I placed it on a plate and covered with a dish towel to keep warm. The steam created in this holding scenario also helps soften the bread, which makes it more pliable for wrapping.
With all the flatbreads done, I dumped out the veggies onto the cool side of the grill and then arranged them in a single layer close to, but not directly over the fire. This has become a favorite way to roast long cooking vegetables because the closeness to the fire means they cook faster and brown, but don't burn.
I do check on how things are cooking from time and time and arrange any pieces browning faster to be further from the fire, and any not browning fast enough, closer. By the end of the roasting time, about 25 minutes here, I usually have pretty evenly cooked veggies, and any needing a little boost of color I'll just move over to the hot side of the grill, which finishes the job in a minute or two.
Almost thirty minutes of cooking did mean the bread was no longer hot, although it was still warm enough to be pretty soft. I opted to heat the flatbreads quickly on the grill though to liven them up, then proceeded with making the wraps, which started with a layer of sweet potatoes and cauliflower, a sprinkling of dried cranberries and walnuts, a couple spoonfuls of the sauce, and a final adornment with mixed greens. I then wrapped the sandwiches up and secured them closed with a layer of aluminum foil.
These sandwiches provided me with a good fix of sweet potatoes, but there was so much more to love about them. The potatoes alone would have been a little too much sweetness for the filling, and the cauliflower was definitely needed to add heft and a more neutral flavor that also allowed the cranberries to come through more. Both the nuts and greens added a needed crunch to the equation, while the sauce did the work of delivering moisture with a tang that went really well, especially in keeping the sweetness of the potatoes in check. All of that made for a tasty experience, but the fresh flatbread is what cemented this as something I could see myself eating regularly just because there's nothing quite like fresh bread to turn a good sandwich into a great one. I don't think I'll ever tire of sweet potatoes, and I really could post multiple recipes each fall and winter that use them, but I think in holding back a bit I can focus on the quality of the recipes I'm getting out them, which seems to only be improving year-over-year.
