Equipment
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Onions
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 120 ml white vinegar
- 120 ml water, hot
- 10 g granulated sugar
- 5 g kosher salt
Sweet Potato Base & Skins
- 2 sweet potatoes, whole, washed
- 30 ml olive oil
- 2 garlic, minced
- 4 g ground cumin
- 4 g smoked paprika
- 60 ml vegetable broth, warm
- 4 g kosher salt
Eggs & Sriracha Butter
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 15 g sriracha sauce
Garnish
- 10 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 719 kcal
- Protein
- 19 g
- Carbohydrates
- 76 g
- Fat
- 38 g
- Fiber
- 11 g
- Sugar
- 22 g
- Sodium
- 2317 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 18 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 404 mg
- Potassium
- 1377 mg
- Calcium
- 201 mg
- Iron
- 5.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 108 mg
- Phosphorus
- 387 mg
- Zinc
- 2.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 2471 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 16 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 5.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 33 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.34 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.71 mg
- Niacin
- 2.2 mg
- Folate
- 94 mcg
- Water
- 508 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a small saucepan, combine white vinegar, hot water, sugar, and salt. Heat gently until sugar dissolves, then pour over the thinly sliced red onions in a heatproof jar or bowl. Set aside to pickle at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and place them on a baking sheet. Roast until completely tender when pierced with a knife.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and slice them in half lengthwise. Allow them to cool slightly, then carefully scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl, keeping the skins fully intact. Set the skins aside.
Tear the reserved sweet potato skins into bite-sized pieces. Toss them on the baking sheet with 15ml of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Return to the 200°C/400°F oven to crisp up.
Mash the scooped sweet potato flesh with the remaining 15ml of olive oil, minced garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and warm vegetable broth until it reaches a smooth, hummus-like consistency. Add more broth if the mixture is too thick.
Reduce the oven temperature to 190°C/375°F. Spread the sweet potato mash evenly across the bottom of a cast iron skillet. Use the back of a spoon to create four deep indents or wells in the mash. Carefully crack one egg into each well.
Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the egg whites are set but the yolks remain runny. For maximum food safety, eggs should reach an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F. If serving to vulnerable populations, use pasteurized eggs or bake until yolks are fully firm.
While the eggs bake, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and vigorously whisk in the sriracha sauce until fully emulsified and slightly thickened.
Remove the skillet from the oven. Drizzle the sriracha butter generously over the sweet potato and eggs. Scatter the crispy potato skins and drained pickled onions over the top. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Roasting the sweet potatoes whole is crucial; it converts their starches into maltose, maximizing natural sweetness and ensuring a smooth texture without waterlogging the flesh.
- For the crispiest potato skins, ensure you leave a tiny amount of flesh attached to the skin when scooping, as it provides structure. Tossing them while still warm helps the oil coat them evenly.
- If your sriracha butter breaks or splits, add a single teaspoon of warm water and whisk vigorously to bring the emulsion back together.
- Making the wells deep enough is the secret to a great shakshuka. Ensure your well touches the bottom of the skillet so the bottom of the egg cooks through direct conductive heat.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store sweet potato mash and pickled onions separately. Do not store baked eggs; cook eggs fresh for leftovers.
Reheating: Reheat sweet potato mash in a skillet over medium heat, then make fresh wells and crack new eggs to bake.
Troubleshooting
Sweet potato mash is too dry to spread smoothly
Cause: Moisture loss during roasting or starchy sweet potato variety
Fix: Stir in an additional 15ml to 30ml of warm vegetable broth or water until a spreadable consistency is reached
Prevention: Roast sweet potatoes whole rather than cubed to trap steam
Egg yolks overcook before the whites are set
Cause: Skillet retained too much residual heat or oven temperature was too high
Fix: Cannot be fixed once yolks are hard, but the dish will still be delicious. Next time, baste whites with a little oil to help them cook faster.
Prevention: Ensure eggs are at room temperature before baking and check doneness early
Potato skins burn instead of crisping
Cause: Excess sugar in the sweet potato skin caramelized too quickly
Fix: Discard heavily blackened pieces and use the lighter, crispy sections
Prevention: Monitor the skins closely in the last few minutes of baking
Cultural Context
Traditional shakshuka is a beloved staple across North Africa and the Middle East, primarily featuring eggs gently poached in a simmering, heavily spiced tomato and red pepper sauce. This modern fusion variation nods to the warming, earthy spices of the original dish like cumin and paprika, while substituting the tomato base for a rich, naturally sweet roasted potato mash. The addition of sriracha butter introduces a subtle Southeast Asian heat that beautifully cuts through the sweetness of the root vegetable.
